Fate Works in Cruel Ways
by AmericusyoungXoXo
Summary: "You don't understand, Andy, it's-" "No, I do understand. I understand that you are the worst best friend in the world. Now I need you to understand this: I hate you, Eleanor." Eleanor never meant for her best friend's boyfriend to 'imprint' on her. But fate sure can be cruel sometimes, can't it?
1. Introduction

_Introduction:_

"Did you see that? Look at her!" Jacob gushed, a smile plastered on his tanned face. She smiled back and nodded. Andrea was definitely something to gush over, though.

Andrea Sen scored another three pointer, pulling La Push High over their opponents by one point. Jacob and her had made the perfect match. After he had finally accepted that Bella Swan didn't want him, he had decided to move on. And that's when he found Andrea.

She was royalty on the reservation, one of the top students in her class, star basketball player, and deemed the most gorgeous girl in school. The two made a beautiful couple. Andrea had everything together: the perfect academic life, perfect social life, perfect boyfriend, and perfect best friend.

"Jake! She did it! They won!" Eleanor squealed, her curls bouncing.

"I know!"

They cheered together.

Eleanor and Andrea had become best friends in the sixth grade, when Eleanor had first moved to Washington, from Maine. Though polar opposites, the two proved to have a special friendship- mutual respect and gratitude towards one another. Andrea had shown Eleanor kindness when she was alone, and Eleanor proved trustworthy and loyal to Andrea. Despite the fact that the world looked completely past Eleanor, she meant the world to Andrea, and that was enough. Jacob, upon the beginning of his relationship with Andrea, had soon began an awkward friendship with Eleanor as well- appreciating her quirkiness and her friendship with his girlfriend.

Jacob and Eleanor waited in the dimly lit school hallway, waiting for Andrea to emerge from the locker room. When she did, she was all smiles.

Jacob took her into his arms immediately, placing a kiss on the top of her chestnut locks. They were currently pulled back in a low ponytail at the moment, as compared to their regular voluptuous waves.

"Ew, Jake! I'm so gross right now!" Andrea giggled, playfully shoving him.

"You are never gross, Andy. Ever." He tenderly smiled and she allowed him to kiss her cheek. Eleanor stood beside, awkwardly twirling a small spiral around her finger and turning her face away to not intrude on the two.

"El, are we still on for tonight? I think my parents left already, so I need a ride no matter what."

"Yeah, yeah we're still on for tonight." Eleanor turned to face them again, nodding slightly and offering a small grin.

"Okay, uhm, can you go start the car? I'll be right out."

Eleanor knew that Andrea wanted a moment alone with Jacob- she knew they were in love. Boys had never looked at her really, they were all always crazy about Andrea. Who wouldn't be? Jacob had just been the one to catch her eye in return. She had thought he was handsome all along, it was only when he started to pay attention to her as well that they fell together.

"Yeah, I'm right by the pool doors." She mumbled before slipping out of the building, pulling her jacket tighter against her small body. It was December and Mother Nature was taking out her wrath on the small costal reservation- they had been hit hard by the snow.

She started the car and blasted the heat, her teeth chattering in her mouth. The car took too long to heat up for her liking, and soon enough the vents started to release lukewarm air when Andrea was throwing open the trunk to toss in her sports bag in. She hopped into the small car quickly and slammed the door shut, releasing a puff of cool air.

"You did great tonight, Andy." Eleanor smiled to her best friend, receiving one in turn.

"Only because I have my two biggest fans there for me."

Andrea was truly grateful to have both of them there. Who could possibly ask for a better best friend and boyfriend? She felt blessed to have both Jacob and Eleanor so true and loyal to her.

The girls rode in comfortable silence back to Eleanor's house, the lights were already off when they pulled into the driveway.

"Dad has to get up for a special report in the morning."

Andrea only nodded in response, knowing that Eleanor's dad- William Jensen- was a news reporter and was hardly ever home because of this. That was the main reason why him and Eleanor had even ventured out to Washington in the first place.

As the two finally found themselves in Eleanor's room, they began their annual talks. They had no secrets between them, another contributing factor to their friendship.

"Hey El, do you mind going to hang out with Jacob and his friends tomorrow? He mentioned something about his house for a while, and then maybe going to the movies? That sounds fun, right?"

"Oh! Yeah, that sounds nice. Embry and Quil?"

A devious look found its way onto Andrea's darkly tanned face as she smirked at Eleanor, "Embry going would make you happy, wouldn't it?"

Eleanor blushed deeply, her hands shooting up to cover her mouth to suppress a giggle, "No! I mean, yes, but, not because of what you think!"

Andrea smiled knowingly and turned back to her phone to reply to Jacob that the girls were in for tomorrow. It was a well known fact between the two that Eleanor had had a crush on Embry for almost two years now- since they had first had a biology class together in ninth grade. He had never looked twice at her though, no one ever did.

Eleanor didn't look like everyone on the reservation, due to the fact that she was born across the country from La Push. Her hair was a fair brown/blonde with small ringlets and spirals splaying everywhere, her skin fair with freckles scattered across her small features, her nose was little and her eyes wide- a faint green color- framed by dark lashes.

Andrea had taught the smaller girl how to do her makeup though, to 'help express the unique beauty that she held'.

The following morning Eleanor drove the two to Jacob Black's house, a place quite familiar to both of them.

Jacob greeted Andrea with a sweet kiss and Eleanor snaked around the couple and into the house, being met with the sound of shattering glass. Her eyes met that of Quil Atera's, his just as wide as hers. Hers then scanned and found Embry's, his matching hers as well. The boys were frozen in motion, the look of guilt gracing both of their faces.

"What happened?"

Quil's hand shot out, pointing an accusative finger out at Embry.

"Oh no! No! He threw the pillow at me, and it hit the lamp! I didn't do it." Embry scrambled out in defense, Eleanor's cheeks heating up at his smile.

After listening to Jacob scold both Quil and Embry for their carelessness, the five lazily lounged around the Black household until it was time to leave for the theater.

"Uhm, El, you don't mind driving Quil and Embry there, do you?"

Eleanor knew that face and that tone- Andrea and Jake wanted some quality car time. So she didn't object, only shrugged and offered a small wink in Andrea's direction- resulting in Andrea's loud laughter.

"Eleanor, your car is a piece of shit." Quil chuckled out as he plopped into the back seat, Embry throwing a scowl at him from the passenger seat, "Hey it's better than yours. Oh wait. You don't have one." He chuckled.

Eleanor giggled and shrugged, "It gets me from point A to point B."

"You think Jake and Andrea are going to be a little late to the movie," Quil began, a smirk forming, "you know, just so they can spend some extra time together? If you know," he winked and Embry rolled his eyes.

He shot a smile in Eleanor's direction and she grinned back, fighting the heat from rising to her cheeks once again.

"Oh come on, we were all thinking it!" Quil held up his hands in defense.

"Yeah but you don't need to advertise that kind of thing. We all know." Embry chuckled.

"Eleanor, you don't talk a lot do you?" Quil was relentless with conversation, bouncing from one subject to another. She only shrugged in response and finally they fell into silence for a while more.

The three beat Andrea and Jacob to the theater, much to Quil's amusement.

It was a good day, all in all. It was the life that they had all fallen in to, and all enjoyed. Each and every night Eleanor thanked God for the life he gave her in La Push, she couldn't have asked for more. Her best friend was true to her and the most popular girl at school. Sure, she would like for a Embry Call to realize that she was more than "Andrea's little sidekick", but other than that she couldn't complain.

How was she to know that the following spring, her whole life would be flipped upside down and thrown into a bottomless pit of betrayal and secrets?


	2. The Breakup

I'd like to start off by thanking everyone who favorited and followed the story, and especially those that reviewed!

 **Eleanor POV**

The snow was melting off of the ground and it rained even more than usual, if that was possible. Basketball season had ended a couple weeks ago, meaning I got to spend more time with Andrea- which meant more time with Jacob, which meant more time with Embry and Quil. I was really, really happy. I'm not saying that Embry and I were betrothed or anything, but I was making progress. At least I thought I was, I don't know.

And then he stopped hanging out with us, with anyone, actually. Until he was suddenly with Jared and Paul and Sam all the time. Not even Jacob could tell us what had happened, only that Embry had once referred to them as 'hall monitors on steroids' and now he had chopped all his hair off and became one of Sam's followers.

I was heartbroken, to say the least. I mean, I've been in love with the kid since ninth grade, and suddenly he goes a-wall and turns his back on his best friends? That's pretty upsetting.

When Embry had come back to school, he looked completely different. His hair was indeed cropped off, and his muscles were huge. Which didn't seem right. Embry had always been tall and lanky, now he was tall and huge. I'll be honest, I had swooned with every other girl.

He had looked at me in chemistry one day and smiled, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Eleanor! How've you been?" My heart had melted.

Jacob had hardly believed me when I told him that day at lunch. Him and Quil had taken to sitting with Andrea and I now.

A few weeks later though, things started to get bad.

Andrea and I sat in her room- I absentmindedly dangling upside down off of her bed, and Andrea spinning in repetitive circles in her computer chair.

"El, he didn't answer me again!" Andrea groaned out, tossing her phone on the bed next to me.

"How long has it been?"

It didn't make sense, Jacob hadn't been to school in days and he hadn't spoken to Andrea for the same amount of time. Even if he was sick, he could at least text her, right? They were inseparable, I didn't understand how he could just drop communication like that.

"Four days. When I call the house, Billy just says 'he's sleeping' or 'he can't talk' or 'he's still sick'. What the hell?"

I could tell Andrea was dying on the inside. And for once in our friendship, I didn't know what to do. What could I do?

A knock on the door downstairs pulled us out of our silence.

"Andyyy! Someone's here!" Anthony called out. Anthony was Andrea's eight year old brother, he had basically become my brother over the course of our friendship, considering my little sister was over 3500 miles away.

We brought ourselves downstairs and Andrea pulled open the front door, dismissing Anthony back to the living room.

Quil Atera stood before us, clad in typical t-shirt and jeans. His curly hair clung to his head and his eyes were serious, something I had hardly ever seen in him. He was always laughing, teasing me and flirting with Andrea and picking on Embry and fighting with Jacob. That didn't look like the boy in front of us, though.

"Guys, hey. Uhm, Andrea, you haven't heard from Jacob. Have you?"

Andrea's face grew serious to match his and she sighed, "I haven't. Billy keeps coming up with excuses every time I call the house and Jacob turned his phone off."

Quil ran a hand through his hair, he looked so stressed out. I could only imagine, first Embry ditched them, and now Jacob was MIA. Quil didn't have anyone anymore.

"Alright, well uh, thanks. See you guys at school on Monday."

And with that, he was gone.

Andrea and I shared a concerned look before she sighed again and began off towards the kitchen.

We had spent the weekend together at Andrea's with her perfect little family. Her parents owned a shop in downtown La Push and were probably the epitome of perfect parents. They were madly in love and whole heartedly devoted to one another and their children. The Sen family was close and famous for their Saturday night family game nights, which I had become a permanent participant in.

It was now Tuesday and we found ourselves sitting on my kitchen countertop with our homework in front of us.

"I need to see him."

I had been daydreaming and next thing I knew Andrea was on her feet and headed towards the front. I jumped up and followed her out to the porch.

"But, Andy, what if he really is still sick?"

"If he was sick and bedridden, he would have had plenty of time to text me."

There was nothing left to say, she held an extremely valid point. It had been a week.

"Come on, I'll drive."

"Drive where?"

"Jake's house, let's go."

Oh no. She couldn't be serious, could she? I didn't want to go to Jake's house. I didn't want to be there for their fight, I didn't want to witness my best friend's first heartbreak. I knew I'd be there for her when it was over, but did I really want to see the whole thing unfold? My choice had been made for me, as we were now on our way towards the little red house surrounded by forest.

"Come with me, please?"

I could already see Andy's lip begin to quiver as she put the car into park. I had to go, she couldn't do this alone. It was so weird to see her be the weak one of the two of us. She had always been the rock, and I was the emotional wreck who cried all the time. I didn't know if I was ready for the tables to turn, just yet. But I followed her towards the front door anyway- just as I had been following her through life since sixth grade.

She rapped her fist against the front door, I cringed.

It flew open and before us stood someone I hardly recognized as Jacob. This wasn't Jacob, though, it couldn't be. His hair was cropped short and his bare chest was rippling and bulging with muscles. A tribal tattoo lay on his shoulder. This was what was left of Jacob Black- I was totally stunned.

"Jake, is that, is that you?" Andrea choked out, she was just as taken back as I was.

He finally looked up, his dark eyes finding hers and filling with something- disappointment?

"You can't be here." His voice was low and hardly audible. What was up with him? She was his girlfriend, why couldn't she be there? What was going on?

"What? Jake, why haven't you answered the phone and why haven't you been in school?" I could hear her voice cracking. No no, Andy, don't crack, please.

"Andrea, you shouldn't be here. I, I think we need to take a break."

I watched as her gorgeous face crumbled, the tears falling automatically and I sucked in a breath.

"What're you talking about?!" She cried. I shuddered. I had never seen my best friend like this. I felt like crying for her, how could he be doing this?

"It's over. You need to leave."

His voice was so cold, like I had never heard it before. Jacob had always been so tender with Andrea. Even not with her, he was always so lighthearted and cheery, this didn't even sound like him.

Andrea turned around to where I stood, throwing her shaky arms around my shoulders and pulling me into a tight embrace, her body already racking with her cries. I instinctively wrapped my arms around her in return and she pressed her face into the crook of my neck. I felt her hot tears on my skin and finally looked back to Jacob.

As I began to back Andrea and I away from his door, we made eye contact.

I stopped dead in my tracks, why was he looking at me like that? I couldn't even describe the look, but I didn't like it. I broke the eye contact and cast my eyes downward as I led Andrea back to the car.

"Shit!"

Jacob's yell boomed from the house behind us and I helped Andrea into the passenger seat of her car, I'd drive us home.

 **Jacob POV**

I screamed throughout my house, my dad wheeling into the kitchen to see what was so wrong.

"Jacob! What's going on?"

I groaned and ran my fingers through my short hair. I hated my hair now. I missed my long hair that I could pull back, now I could hardly grip it.

"I just broke up with Andrea, dad. I didn't imprint on her, so I broke up with her- just like Sam told me to."

"I know it was hard Jacob, but alphas orders."

"Dad! That's not the worst part, I knew I couldn't fight alphas orders. But I imprinted on her best friend. I imprinted on Eleanor Jensen."

He sat in thought, his wrinkled face going into deep thought.

"Is that the little paleface that was always here with Andrea?"

I nodded in response and groaned loudly again. This couldn't get any worse. I fled from the house and phased immediately with no regard to my clothes.

Feeling the cool dirt beneath my paws didn't help my anger and my head filled with the voices of my pack mates and they were already irritating me- I had enough on my plate.

" _No way, Jake! Eleanor, really?_ " Embry chuckled.

I subconsciously thought of all the times Andrea had told me that Eleanor liked Embry, sharing every memory with the pack. Embry whined, it was obvious he had had no clue that Eleanor had felt that way about him. That just added another issue to the one at hand. My imprint was in love with Embry.

I felt a grumble build up in my chest.

That damn imprint.

My imprint was my ex girlfriends best friend.

The quirky little one with a wild mass of light curls and faded eyes of green who had been Andrea's sidekick since junior high.

I was pissed. There weren't even words for my anger. I hated this. I hated the filthy bloodsucking Cullens for awakening this gene in me, for ruining my life. As if taking Bella away from me wasn't enough, now they had taken Andrea away from me and thrown Eleanor to me. I didn't want Eleanor.

" _Jacob, you can't not want her. She's your imprint_." Sam scolded me.

I didn't care. I was rejecting the imprint and I'd ignore Eleanor until high school was over and she ran away back to wherever the hell she was from.

" _It's not that easy. You can't just reject the imprint, it's fate_." Sam tried again.

Well fate was a son of a bitch.


	3. Something's Off and I Hate Everyone

Again, thank you sooo much to everyone that's favoriting and following the story! And a special thanks to _SilverMarkings, FangsandDaggers, SmexyBananas,_ and _ImpoliteLover_ for reviewing!

 **Eleanor POV**

Jacob Black came back to school Wednesday morning. Andrea decided she didn't feel well before first period and she went home. It was in chemistry that things first started to feel , well, off.

Embry plopped down in the seat beside me, a shy grin playing on his thin lips. I couldn't count the number of times that I had dreamed of kissing those lips, so I cast my glance downwards to my binder.

"Eleanor, hey" he spoke, I felt my heart rate pick up. Why was he talking to me now?

I turned to face him, offering a weak smile, "Uh, hey"

I was a mess.

"I uh, I feel like we haven't talked in forever!" He stumbled out. I nodded. Excluding the month or so that we had been friends because of Jake and Andrea, we had never spoken.

Class started to my relief.

Lunch came and I shuffled to mine and Andrea's usual table where I found Quil sitting, to my dismay. I raised an eyebrow at him and he looked to me with hopeful eyes. They were rimmed with bags and I knew that not having either of his best friends was hitting him hard.

"I thought I could just sit with you today, you know, since Andrea isn't here." He spoke, his eyes never leaving mine.

I heard what sounded like a growl and Quil and I both turned to see Jacob and Embry in the cafeteria doors, Embry pushing back on Jake's chest. I shrugged it off and sat with Quil. It was weird, being with him. Other than him teasing me here and there, we had never been friends, therefore we had obviously never had any full conversations even. Quil was funny though and I found myself laughing at some of the things he said. I couldn't help but feel someone's stare boring holes into the back of my head, I never turned though.

I had my final class of the day with Jacob, it was English class. I loved English, I loved writing, and vocabulary, and everything. Each class I released a breath of air that I hadn't even known I was holding in the whole day. Our seating arrangements were changed that day, and I found myself seated in the back next to none other than Jacob Black.

Throughout the day I couldn't help but notice the scowl that had permanently made its way to his face. Now though, as he sat beside me, his scowl had intensified. His body was rigid and his breathing labored.

He had looked at me once and I offered him a smile, I mean, we had been friends at one point- or so I thought. He had just stared at me with a look I couldn't describe and snapped his face back to the front of the room. I felt my stomach twist up. After breaking my best friend's heart right in front of me, the least he could do was not be a complete asshole.

I had to admit, being in school without Andrea was totally foreign to me and the entire day I had felt wrong. My head was spinning. Andrea was always my rock, through my mental breakdowns to my even awkwarder middle school/freshman years. Having Embry Call suddenly speaking to me like I mattered, Quil Ateara acting like we were best friends, and Jacob Black acting like I was a mosquito or a dead body or something was pretty hard to handle to begin with. Having to deal with all of these things without Andy, though, was even worse.

The final bell of the day rang and I was out of my seat and to the door in a flash. I felt those eyes boring into me again as I hurried to my locker and out to my car. I had to see Andrea.

She was never sick, she just couldn't see Jacob. After I had arrived at her house and given her the assignments she had missed today, we nestled together in her room to avoid her family.

She cried to me about Jacob, and how she still couldn't believe that he had done that to her. Apparently she had texted him on more than one occasion since yesterday and he had only replied once: "I'm sorry. It's over." I had never seen her like this. Andrea Paige Sen, La Push's superstar, had broken. Her eyes were puffy and her gorgeous face more sad and heartbroken than I had ever imagined possible. I rubbed her back, though, as she sobbed and promised her this would all be alright.

"El, I'm so lucky to have you," she hugged me and I smiled.

I then told her about my day with Embry in chemistry and Quil at lunch, I left out Jacob in English- we had already had too much Jacob talk today.

"Wait! You and Embry talked? And he started the conversation?" Now Andrea was smiling, I giggled. "It wasn't a conversation, it was like ten words- tops."

As we sat there in her room giggling about Embry Call speaking to me, I actually believed that everything would be alright.

 **Jacob POV**

I couldn't describe my anger. I had never felt like this. I hated everything and everyone. I hated the Cullen's for making this happen to us, I hated Bella for leaving me, I hated Sam for making me break up with Andrea, I hated Eleanor for being my imprint, I hated Embry for suddenly trying to make it up to her for ignoring her for the last however many years, and I hated Quil for being all buddy buddy with my imprint.

That night on patrol I bubbled with anger and let my thoughts run wild. Sam wasn't here to scold me, it was only Jared and Embry. All Jared ever did was think about Kim and I was happy that Embry knew I hated him right now.

" _It's not my fault that you imprinted on Eleanor_." Embry grumbled. I bared my teeth at him.

" _Don't talk to her_."

He chuckled, I wanted to rip his head off.

" _I thought you hated her. Sorry for trying to be a nice guy._ "

I lashed out at him and Jared's voice stopped me as he screamed at us. Embry whined and ran off, going to check the east edge of the woods. Jared was already in the north.

I let my thoughts wander, not caring if the guys saw.

I thought about Andrea when we went on our first date. She had been the most gorgeous girl I had ever seen. Her skin was a shade darker than everyone else's, her almond shaped eyes a gorgeous melted chocolate. Her smile was big and her laugh was contagious. I had fallen in love with that laugh. We went to the movies and I had been so nervous to even hold her hand. She was kind and bold though and she had easily grasped my hand like it was nothing. We had started dating shortly after that. I fought to remember more times with her though I kept coming back to the first day she had introduced Eleanor and I.

Eleanor, the palefaced sidekick, I had thought. That pale little face with those cute little freckles spattered everywhere. Her small little nose and thin little lips, and her big big green eyes. They weren't a normal green, they were pale green, something I had never seen before. Her little face was so sharp, her cheekbones were high and just made her cuter. And her hair, her hair. Curls like I had never seen. Sometimes she tried to pull them back but most of the time they were just everywhere. I remember hearing her say that she hated them and how messy they were, I didn't think they were messy though. They didn't even really erupt until the bottom of her hair, the top was pretty smooth. Those curls were probably soft too.

" _HA, yeah, you sure hate her, Jake._ "

Jared's cackling laughter snapped me out of my thoughts and I growled. Him and Embry howled with laughter at my expense.

I hated everyone.


	4. The Awkward Encounters

**Eleanor POV**

"Hey Eleanor," Embry began, my head snapped in his direction immediately, my heart rate picking up already. I loved how he said my name.

"Remember that one time that we all went hiking and Jake and Quil got Andrea to climb up the tree with them and she got stuck?" He chuckled, and I laughed, I couldn't help it. I did remember that, quite well, and it was one of the funniest moments we had had during our friendship.

I nodded and smiled, he returned it. My cheeks heated up.

We were lab partners, and Embry was talking to me. I had waited for this for years, and here it was. It had been a week since he had started talking, it had become a routine by now.

I noticed over the last week though that Embry didn't talk to anyone else really- excluding Jacob and Paul and Jared. I had also heard the rumors though. Jacob had mentioned once how Embry referred to them as "hall monitors on steroids", but now all I heard was about how him and Jacob both were too. People thought that they were a part of a gang under the rule of Sam Uley. It was crazy talk.

Things around here seemed weirder and weirder and I couldn't help but notice the constant ball in the pit of my stomach. Jacob hadn't so much as looked at me once since we had been forced together in English class, and every time I was with Quil I felt like I was being watched.

In history that day, Kim Connweller sat beside me. I had watched her and Jared whisper to one another and nod before she strode towards me. Jared had watched her with careful eyes.

She sat down cautiously and smiled at me, a big toothed smile. I smiled back.

"Eleanor, this is really sudden. But, uhm, do you want to hang out after school today?"

I was totally shocked. Completely, utterly, flabbergasted to put it lightly.

No one had ever asked me to hangout. Andrea and the guys were the only people I had ever hung out with in the five years that I had been here- and the guys just had to because of Andrea. People here didn't like me, I had known it all along. But I had Andrea, that had always been all I needed.

Kim was staring at me, a fingernail in her mouth. I knew she was shy like me, this was probably eating her up inside.

So I nodded.

"Sure, I'd like that." I grinned at her, she seemed pleased with this as she smiled.

She turned back to Jared and smiled, he looked at her like she was the only person in the room.

"Okay! Uhm, do you want me to come to your locker after the final bell?"

I nodded again, I didn't understand why she suddenly wanted to be my friend. No one wanted to be my friend. She stayed seated beside me when class began and more than once I saw Jared and her share a nod or a mischievous grin.

Quil had taken to sitting with Andrea and I at lunch. As the two chattered amongst themselves my eyes roamed the cafeteria. They fell on Jacob and Embry's table. Kim was the only girl seated there, neatly tucked beneath Jared's arm as she munched on French fries. All of the guys were swallowing down ridiculous amounts of food and they all sort of fit together. There was something weird about the way that every one of them was so different, yet as a whole they seemed right with one another- like that's how it was supposed to be all along.

My eyes met Jacob's. He glared at me. I sighed. I heard a growl in the lunch room. I stopped looking around.

"Alright, class!" Mrs. Sandoval beamed, her tanned face glowing and her smile lines prominent. "Today, we'll be starting a research paper on authors through time! Your guys' first big paper of the year, how exciting?"

The class groaned, I stifled a smile. This was the kind of thing I lived for.

"And I'll be assigning partners for you all, as to make it easier."

Now I inwardly groaned. I hated partners. Well, partners hated me. I wasn't going to be that girl, but I knew that I was smarter than most. I also knew that everyone here knew me as the "weird little paleface" meaning that no one ever really wanted to work with me.

Mrs. Sandoval began reading off from her clipboard the groups of two. I rested my face in my hands, I didn't want to be here anymore.

"Jacob Black and Eleanor Jensen,"

My stomach dropped and twisted. I couldn't even look up, I knew he'd be glaring at me, if he was even looking.

I would never understand what had happened. In just a span of weeks Jacob had chopped off his hair, grown an incredible amount in such a small span of time, and become an absolute jackass. He broke Andrea's heart when everyone was positive they would get married. And now he hated me. I didn't even do anything, I thought.

When I finally looked up, he was staring at me, his eyes curious and soft. He quickly turned around and his jaw flexed. A scowl made its way to his face as he stared straight forward, his hands gripping the desk tightly and his knuckles turning white.

I sighed.

Mrs. Sandoval continued to discuss details on the project and assign each group their author.

Aleister Crowley was ours. I was slightly familiar with him, I knew he was a recreational drug abuser during his lifetime and was known for his sexual practices with individuals of both sexes. What an inspiration. How does one write about this for an eleventh grade English paper? How does one do this with someone who hates your guts?

She let us off to discuss our papers with our partners.

Neither Jacob nor I moved.

Minutes passed as we sat in silence.

"I'm not going to fail this because you hate me." I mumbled. He heard me though, he pursed his lips and swung his legs around to face me.

"Who said I hate you?" He raised an eyebrow, his jaw was set. I turned and faced him.

"No one had to say it, Jacob. I'm not an idiot, I know you do. I don't know why, but I'm not totally oblivious to the fact that you've been glaring at me for a week now."

He fell silent and something flashed across his face. Pain? No. Impossible. I sighed again and pulled out a piece of paper, scribbling down our authors name.

Class couldn't have ended sooner. I was at my locker in a flash and was surprised to see Kim already there waiting, Jared beside her. They were whispering amongst themselves when he nodded his head in my direction.

"Eleanor! Hey, are you ready?" Kim was beaming, I nodded.

"I'll meet you there, okay?" Jared nodded in response to her and slowly made his way out the front doors after placing a tender kiss on her cheek.

She turned back to me, I raised an eyebrow.

"You can drive us, right?" I nodded again. Where would she meet him?

"Okay, so, uhm. We're going to hang out at Sam and Emily's house, okay?"

What? Sam Uley? The alleged gang leader? I was beyond confused. I tilted my head.

"Uhm, Kim. I wouldn't want to intrude on anything, I-".

She cut me off and shooed with her hands, "No no! Emily said its fine, she really wants to meet you!"

So now not only was I wondering why we were going to the gang leaders house to hang out, now I was wondering why his girlfriend wanted to meet me. And how she even knew about my existence to begin with. I really wasn't in the position to be turning down friends though, so that's how I found myself following Kim's passenger seat directions to Sam and Emily's house.

The house was small and the booming laughter from inside sounded like it could bring the whole place down. Kim gave me a reassuring smile as we walked towards the front door. It flew open and Jared was to Kim in a moment, wrapping her in his arms. She giggled and I turned away.

"Oh! You must be Eleanor Jensen, it's so nice to meet you. I'm Emily Young."

Arms were being thrown around me and before I knew it I was pulled into a motherly hug by the gang leaders girlfriend. I awkwardly patted her back, I wasn't really used to physical contact with anyone except Andrea.

She pulled away and smiled, I had to return the gesture. I couldn't help but notice the scars that ran down the right side of her beautiful face, I didn't stare though- I wouldn't want someone to stare at me.

"It's nice to meet you," I squeaked out.

They led me inside and introduced me to Sam Uley. He was a big brooding man who held authority with his presence and looked at Emily with eyes only for her. He casted a curious glance in my direction to Emily and they shared a silent conversation before he returned his attention back to me, reaching a hand out to shake mine.

Jared kissed Kim goodbye and Sam to Emily and they were out the door, claiming they were off to work. This left me with just the girls. I wasn't really sure what to think, I was still wondering why I was even here.

They began talking to me as if we had been lifelong friends though and I actually found myself comfortable with them. They asked about my likes and interests and where I was from and my family and everything. Talking to them was easy and laughing was too.

"So Eleanor," Emily began, taking food out of the fridge to begin dinner, "what do you think about Jacob?"

This caught me off guard. What would it matter what I thought of Jacob?

"I think he's a jerk." I grumbled.

Both Emily and Kim's eyes widened and they shared a worried glance before looking back to me.

"Uhm, whys that, sweetie?" Emily raised an eyebrow. She put down what she had been doing and stared at me, her eyes curious.

"Well he totally stopped talking to Andrea like they hadn't been together for so long, and then he just breaks up with her for absolutely no reason. That was shitty. She at least deserved an answer."

"Well, maybe there was a reason." Emily offered, Kim nodded. "Maybe," she paused again, looking for the right words to say. "Maybe there was a really good reason, and you just can't see it yet."

Kim nodded again in agreement and they looked at me with hopeful eyes. I stared back. They were hiding something and I knew it. We continued to look at each other for a moment more before the silence was broken.

The screen door swung open and multiple voices filled the room at once, laughing and joking with one another. They stopped as they saw me though, that happened a lot.

"What's she doing here?"

There it was. Jacob's harsh voice in regard to me. I winced. It all fell silent again, I didn't know what to do. I couldn't even meet his eyes, I knew they would be cold towards me. I didn't want to be here anymore.

"Eleanor! Hey, nice seeing you here." Embry's smile made me feel better and I finally looked up to meet his eyes.

Behind him stood Jared and Paul, behind them was Sam. Jared's eyes were wide and a smirk graced Paul's lips, Sam was dead serious. So I looked back at Embry. He smiled at me again and I smiled back. Jacob growled. I mean, full blown, wild animal, growled.

"That's it! Jacob, Embry, outside. Now." Sam's authoritative voice boomed out, the two boys immediately obeying. Paul let out a whoop of laughter and Jared followed in suit. Emily and Kim sighed, and I was left completely dumbfounded. I hadn't the slightest idea what was going on.

"Okay, well. Eleanor, would you like to stay for dinner?" Emily snapped back to herself again, a smile on her lips.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry. I'm going to go home now." I began to stand up and grab my sweater, "Thank you, Emily, for having me. And it was great to spend time with you, Kim." I babbled out and was outside as quickly as possible.

The guys were nowhere to be found. I sped home.


	5. Apologies and Spinny Chairs

**Eleanor POV**

Kim was waiting for me at my locker the following morning as I approached with Andrea. It was strange to see Kim without Jared, honestly. Ever since he had come back from being sick, they were inseparable.

"I'll see you later, El." Andrea smiled to me, I returned the gesture and waved as she made her way off to class.

"Eleanor, I'm really sorry about last night at Emily's. Jacob was just in a bad mood, and I hope that didn't ruin your opinion on all of us." Kim babbled out.

I stared at her. I didn't understand why she suddenly cared about being my friend, and I especially didn't understand why she cared what I thought about her friends.

"It's, uhm, it's fine. I had a nice time with you and Emily." I shrugged and faced my locker, beginning to twist in the combination. I hoped she would leave.

I was wrong.

"Well, I thought that you would like to come back some other time, soon. Maybe?"

Why did she want me at Emily's so badly? Jacob had made it very clear that I wasn't welcome there when he was around, and from what I had heard around school: that was all the time.

"I'm not too sure, Kim." I mumbled.

I hated that she was focussing so hard on me right now.

"Okay, well, want to sit with us at lunch?" She wouldn't stop trying.

"Andrea and I always sit together."

How could Kim possibly think that I could sit with them with everything that had gone on with Andrea and Jacob? And no one had ever wanted to sit with me before, why now?

She sighed beside me and I shut my locker. Why was I being so rude? I had spent my entire high school career wishing that someone would not hate me other than Andrea, and now here I was being rude to the first person that had ever tried.

"I'm sorry, Kim," I began, "I'd like to hang out soon."

She smiled at me.

Embry watched me carefully when I entered chemistry, throwing me a shy smile.

"I'm sorry about what happened with Jake yesterday, I uh, I'm sorry."

I fought the blush that threatened to rise to my cheeks and told him it was fine.

Today, Embry didn't start the mindless small talk like he typically did. He didn't ask about what I had done the previous night, or what I had had for dinner, or how my history outline was coming along. It was quiet for once.

"Hey what did Kim Conweller want this morning?" Andrea caught up to me in the lunch line, a thin eyebrow cocked.

"Oh, she just wanted to hang out again." I shrugged. Her eyebrow stayed high.

"She's weird." Andrea grumbled.

Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. I had been friends with Andrea since sixth grade and I had never heard her say something even like that. She was genuinely nice to everyone. And I knew that Kim and I were quite similar- so if she was weird to Andrea, then was I too? I had never questioned what Andrea thought about me. Why was I now suddenly wondering if my own best friend thought I was 'weird'?

I brushed it off and we continued through the line and to our table.

 **Jacob POV**

 _"I've had enough of you two bickering, someone is going to get hurt because you aren't focused on patrols."_ Sam's voice boomed, the authority in it strong.

I let my thoughts run wild.

 _"Embry has no reason to be speaking to her."_ I growled.

 _"He hates his imprint and she was about to jump out of her skin, do you want me to let that happen?"_

And suddenly Embry slipped up and images of Eleanor and him in chemistry flashed through our heads. Her little smile, her blushing cheeks as he spoke, the way her eyes never left his as he spoke.

I snarled, the wolf inside of me ready to rip him to shreds. How dare he? I lunged at him. Sam's alpha voice stopped me in my tracks. He scolded me.

 _"You cannot resist the imprint, Jacob. You're hurting her, and yourself."_

A part of me ached at the thought of bringing Eleanor pain.

It didn't stop me from hating her, though. I didn't love her like Sam loved Emily or Jared with Kim. I would never love her. I had loved Bella, and I had loved Andrea. I had never, nor would I ever, love Eleanor Jensen.

Lunch came around the following day and I glared at Embry as we all took our seats.

"I didn't talk to her." He grumbled. My glare never faltered.

"Jake," Kim's small voice began, "I asked Eleanor to come to Emily's again soon."

I stopped chewing. I didn't want Eleanor at Emily's, I didn't want her anywhere near me. It was bad enough that I had to sit next to her in English and even worse that I was expected to be her partner for a project. The last thing I needed was her even showing up at Emily's.

"Okay, everyone. Today we'll be going to the computer lab and begin researching our authors." Mrs. Sandoval smiled.

How dare she smile when she had paired me up with Eleanor.

The class groaned and we all made our way to the lab, Eleanor walking ahead of me. I ached to see those pretty green eyes yet I fought the urge to step on her shoes or flick her in the back of the head.

We took our seats on the spinny chairs and I began circling in mine, Eleanor turned on the computer.

I was seeing how long I could piss her off by doing this before I threw up.

She glared at me.

Good, I thought smugly. Now she can hate me just as much as I hate her.

Jared silently scolded me across the room.

"Jacob."

She spoke. Her voice was light and soft, just like it had always been. But now it was firm. She was not pleased with my lack of interest in this project. I remembered Andrea mentioning that Eleanor was a brainiac, and despite the fact that she would get perfect grades no matter what- she was stressed all the time because of school.

I faced her and smirked. She pursed her lips and she tried to hold my stare.

Her eyes fell to the floor and she sighed before facing the computer once more and beginning typing something in.

Something inside of me pulled. She was upset.

I might not have known had it not been for the imprint, but because of the damn thing I was now feeling every last thing she felt. We were one.

I shook it off and started spinning again.

...

I really want to apologize for such a short chapter! It was more laying the ground for future chapters- which I promise will be up very soon. Also, another huge thanks to everyone who continues to read, favorite, follow, and especially review!


	6. A Wool Blanket and A Broken Nose

So I felt really bad about the last chapter being so short, so I decided to post the next chapter right away. I appreciate everyone's reviews, favorites and follows so much, thank you to everyone!

 **Eleanor POV**

A week had passed since the last time Embry spoke to me. Chemistry was now totally silent each and every day, and I was back at base one with him- which translated to: I was nowhere.

Kim hadn't slowed down on trying to hang out with me though, and Saturday morning I woke up to the sound of my cellphone buzzing.

A txt from Kim.

 _"Hey, want to come to Emily's for the day?"_

I groaned. I didn't want to. But I couldn't turn down a friend.

Especially not with how different and cold Andrea had been acting. It seemed like she was suddenly so critical of every one and every thing. I didn't get it.

So I yanked myself out of my comfy bed and sent a reply to Kim, telling her I'd love to.

Upon my descent downstairs I immediately smelt my dad's coffee. I breathed it in deep, I loved when my dad was actually home when I woke up. I knew he'd be gone soon, though.

"Dad! Good morning!" I smiled as I sat down across the small table from him.

He glanced up from his folder briefly and sipped his coffee, "Morning, Eleanor."

"What're you working on?" I tried again.

"Just something for work."

My eyes never left him.

He never used to be so uninterested in me, I swear. At a time, my dad loved me and wanted to know every little detail about my day- every day. He smiled a lot, and hugged my sisters and I a lot, and he took us and my mom out every weekend to spend time with us.

And then my big sister Nia died in a car crash with a group of drunken friends the summer before my sixth grade year.

My parents split up almost immediately after. And my father changed.

I clung to the hopes that he'd return back to his old self, so I moved with him. My little sister Julianna listened to my mother when she said our dad couldn't love her as much anymore.

My father and I moved to La Push, and he never changed back. His once happy smile hardly shown anymore and he never took me out and he never hugged me. I knew he loved me though. He had to.

I ate quickly and hurried to get ready to leave for Emily's, hoping I could remember how to get there. I was always cold here, so I threw on a soft green sweater and faded skinny jeans. Sweaters were an essential piece in my closet.

As I pulled up to the strangely familiar house of Emily Young's, I smiled. Something about being here just felt right.

Emily greeted me with a warm embrace and I actually let her hold me there. Kim smiled at me, "Oh Eleanor, I'm so happy you came back!" And Emily agreed with her.

"Do you like tea?" Emily pulled a mug from the cabinet and I nodded more enthusiastically than I had intended. She only smiled at me and poured me a cup of the hot minty tea. It warmed my chest and I smiled.

Just like last time, talking with Kim and Emily was easy and natural. I never felt like I was being judged with them. I felt like I belonged with them. Despite my pale skin in contrast to theirs and despite my inability to socialize with people other than Andrea- I knew I was one of them somehow. They told me stories of the guys and with one another, and then told me about their families. I hesitated on talking about mine, only really talking about Julianna- whom was currently in ninth grade.

The door opened and in came Sam and Jacob. Emily was to Sam in a moment, him covering her scarred face in kisses. Kim noticed me staring at them and she smiled to me before slipping out the back door.

My eyes then found Jacob. He watched Sam and Emily for a moment before his eyes came to me. And for once, he didn't glare. We just looked at one another, eyes locked. My stomach twisted up in a way I couldn't describe.

At some point Emily and Sam had gone out the front door, leaving Jacob and I in the small living room.

Slowly, he came over and sat on the opposing end of the couch beside me. We sat in silence and I watched him out of the corner of my eye. His body was rigid and he faced forward, flexing his jaw. So I went back to drinking my tea- Kim would be back soon.

"Are you cold?" He broke the silence and I turned to face him, raising an eyebrow.

"What?"

My feet were freezing to be quite honest, but I had them tucked safely beneath me on the couch and my tea warmed my hands.

"I asked if you were cold." His voice was hard yet his eyes weren't as he looked at me. I shrugged and looked down into my almost empty cup, "I'm fine."

He stood up and I almost sighed in relief at the thought of him leaving.

He didn't though.

A thick wool blanket was plopped on my lap and Jacob returned to his previous seat on the end of the couch.

When I turned to look at him with question, he was already staring expectantly at me. We looked at each other and I swear I saw a flash of concern in his chocolate eyes. I was probably wrong though. Jacob hated me, I was still baffled as to why he would even get a blanket for me, or why he would care if I was cold or not.

"Aren't you going to use that? You were cold." He gestured to the blanket still laying folded on my legs.

I silently spread it across myself and he turned away.

I had only stayed for an hour or so after that, Jacob had left and Sam lingered around the house- his eyes never leaving Emily.

Thanking Emily once more for her hospitality and receiving a tight hug from Kim on my way out, I found myself on my way to Andrea's house. I missed my best friend.

I had made a silent promise to myself that I wouldn't tell her about Jacob being at Emily's both times that I had been there, and I had also forgotten to mention my English project with Jacob as well. It's not like I was trying to sneak it around her, there was just no need to make her upset by bringing him up.

We laid on her living room floor when I first arrived, just having mindless conversations. Though something felt off, I still held on to every moment. I couldn't help but notice that talking with her seemed almost foreign whereas when I talked with Emily and Kim- it was like we had been lifelong friends. I had to shake off that thought, Andrea was my best friend. And always would be.

"So Andy, I finally finished that health paper on panic disorders," I stated, following the swirls on the living room ceiling.

"Do you ever talk about anything except school and your panic attacks?" Andrea snapped back.

I was left speechless.

I never talked about my panic attacks. I knew I never did, I made sure of it. Not even to Andrea. My new medicine had been working for months.

And school? I mean, I guess I talked about it sometimes. But it wasn't all I talked about.

I stayed silent.

Andrea had never snapped at me- not once in our entire friendship. I felt like crying. I felt like curling up into a ball and sobbing my eyes out. But I couldn't do that. I couldn't. I was fine, everything was fine. Andrea had been having a rough couple weeks, and it was up to me to be totally understanding and accepting of it, while comforting her through a rough breakup. Because that's what best friends do.

The following Tuesday in phys ed, Paul Lahote spoke to me for the first time. Or, spoke for me, to say.

We had been playing dodgeball and as you can probably assume from the kind of person I am, this was my worst nightmare.

Paul and Jared were on my team and among the guys who liked to stand in the front line and beam the poor weaklings on the other team. They moved with such agility and speed that they seemed unhuman, even the jocks didn't move like them. It looked like even throwing the ball was so effortless.

I, on the other hand, struggled to throw the ball at all without making an absolute fool out of myself. Therefore, I had found my permanent spot in the back right corner of the gym.

It was here that the incident occurred.

Mr. Wright- our gym teacher- had stepped into his office with a student from another class, I was assuming. I was mindlessly scanning the gym, taking in the dim lighting and musty smell. Because of Andrea, I had spent a lot of time in this gym watching her basketball games, yet now, it seemed darker and not as alive. I was reading a banner above where the score table normally was when a dodgeball slammed, full-speed, straight into my nose.

I heard and felt the crack of the bone immediately. And then I felt the hot blood begin to gush down my face before I could even reach up to grab my nose.

"What the hell was that?!"

I turned to see Paul storming towards the thrower of the ball- a football player named Desmond. Paul was shaking and the veins in his arms and neck were bulging.

"She wasn't even looking! What the hell is wrong with you?" He raged on, Jared hot on his tail, yanking him back.

Desmond shrugged and turned to laugh with his friends, Paul lunged towards him again- Jared quick to grab him and hold him back.

The blood poured from in between my fingers and I squeezed my eyes shut, I could not cry here. And I didn't want to watch Paul rip Desmond a new one.

I felt a hot hand on my shoulder and opened my eyes to see Jared staring down at me, his eyes wide. Paul stood beside him, visually calmer now.

"Come on, Jake will take you to the hospital." Paul spoke, his voice deep and his eyes jutting towards the door.

"Damn, that's a lot of blood." Jared remarked, a slight joke back in his tone. I wanted to smile, but my face was on fire.

Jacob would take me? I could just to to the nurse, or Andrea could take me, or one of them even. Why Jacob? Why would someone who hated me want to leave school and take care of me?

I squeezed my eyes shut again.

Paul led and I felt Jared's hand hastily touching my back, guiding me forward with Paul. He handed me a t-shirt at some point and I held it to my nose, wincing at the pain.

"Jake!" Paul hissed into the door of the study hall.

I held back the tears and watched him point towards me, hidden around the corner. They held a silent conversation and then I heard Jacob say he was going to the bathroom. He casually walked out of the room and turned quick to look at me, his eyes growing wide.

"What the hell happened?" He hissed, his eyes never leaving mine.

He actually looked concerned. I shut my eyes again and tried to steady my breathing. I knew it was still bleeding, and I'd apologize as soon as possible for definitely ruining the shirt Jared had given me.

"Desmond pelted her in the face." Jared explained, Paul growled and stalked off back to the gym.

Jacob sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"I got it." He mumbled and Jared nodded, turning and leaving the two of us.

I looked to him and he pursed his lips, his eyes still boring into mine.

"Let's go." He gestured towards the door and I hesitantly walked with him, taking big strides to keep up.

I followed him to his car in the parking lot and he already had the passenger door held open for me, it slammed shut as soon as I was sitting.

"Does this shit always happen to you?"

He started driving. I shrugged.

We rode in silence and he was stiff. After time he began looking over every now and then, an eyebrow raised occasionally.

The bleeding had stopped and the blood felt crusty on my face. I wanted to be anywhere but here right now. I squeezed my eyes shut again.

"Hey," he began, his eyes finding me and softening, "hey, are you okay?" His voice was soft, something I hadn't heard from him in a long time.

I nodded quickly and winced, he pulled the car over and shifted into park. He leaned towards me, his eyebrows scrunched.

"I'm fine." The shirt muffled my voice.

I found his eyes and he stared at me, something filling his eyes that I had never seen.

We sat there, him leaning towards me to try and see my nose, I holding the shirt to my face for dear life- both of us staring at the other.

I wanted to go home and crawl into my bed and scream and pull the covers over my face.

The moment only lasted a minute more before he snapped back into his rigid self and whipped us back onto the road towards Forks Hospital.


	7. Just The Beginning

**Eleanor POV**

My nose was broken.

Jacob had waited with me the entire time, though he didn't speak. After our weird moment in the car, he was right back to his scowling and miserable self. By the time I was released, school was over and Jacob had grumbled that he would bring me back so that I could get my car.

"Thanks." I mumbled.

I clung the bloodied t-shirt to my chest and kept my head down as I hurried over to my car. His eyes were on me when I finally looked back, safely shut in my now running vehicle. I nodded one more thank you to him before driving home. His eyes never left me.

My nose was covered in a bandage, the surrounding area bruised black and blue from the impact.

 _"I broke my nose."_ I texted Andrea.

I didn't expect a response.

I didn't get one.

The following morning Kim and Jared were waiting at my locker. Jared pursed his lips at my bruised face and clicked his tongue, "Jake's not gonna be happy to see that." He whispered to Kim. She brought a hand to her mouth and her eyes went wide.

"Oh my goodness, Eleanor. Jared told me what happened, I can't believe Desmond would do that!" She came towards me, her hands tentatively reaching out to me. I shook my head and told her it was no big deal.

That's what my dad had said when I told him what happened.

"I'm really really sorry about your shirt." I held the shirt out to Jared. I had ran it through the washer twice but the splotches of blood still stained the yellow material.

I felt awful.

My gym t-shirt was ruined too, I'd have to get a new one tomorrow.

Jared chuckled and took the shirt, "It's fine, I swear." He smiled a reassuring smile and I returned the gesture.

Embry looked at my nose and his eyes went wide, "Shit," he mumbled, "now I know why Paul wrecked the kid."

"What?"

Wrecked the kid? Paul beat up Desmond?

"You didn't hear? He went back to P.E and knocked him out- one hit. Jared showed us, it was great!"

"He showed you..?"

Embry's eyes went big.

"Uh-duh, he uh, he took a video of it." He stumbled out.

"Oh."

Why would Paul do that for me? I was surprised myself that he hadn't been one of the guys laughing along with Desmond, the fact that he went right after him was beyond me. And the fact that he went back afterwards to hit him surprised me even more.

I saw Desmond in the beginning of lunch- we sported matching broken noses.

Andrea made no remark about my nose- she wasn't speaking today.

When I came into English I was surprised to see Jacob already staring at me, his eyebrows scrunched together and his knuckles white from gripping the table. I sat down and avoided gaze.

"How's your face?"

He was actually initiating conversation in a kind way?

"It's okay." I shrugged.

"Doesn't look it."

I giggled. I actually giggled, Jacob Black actually joked with me and made me giggle. He hadn't done that since him and Andy were together.

When I looked over at him, he was grinning. A small grin, with a look in his eyes that I couldn't describe. So I grinned back. And he chuckled, and smiled at me.

We handed in our research paper that day. It hadn't been completely horrible to do, like I had initially thought it would be. I was almost positive we would get a good grade.

"So, I have a question." Kim smiled at me, standing beside my locker after the final bell.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Every now and then, the guys have a big bonfire with lots of food, and one of the elders tells the legends. There's going to be one on Friday, anddddd, the guys and Emily and I would love for you to come. You could even spend the night with me afterwards!"

I thought about it. I hardly knew the legends, which was something I should probably be ashamed of. But Andrea had hardly ever spoken about them and she was really my only source of any outside information considering no one else had ever voluntarily spoken to me. And I was really starting to enjoy my time with Kim and Emily, along with the guys of course. They were almost always laughing and they were all so close knit like a family- it was refreshing to be in that kind of atmosphere. So I agreed.

Thursday I gave Andrea a ride home from school.

"Hey I was thinking you'd want to hang out tomorrow night?" She asked, I sighed.

"Uhm, well, Kim actually invited me to a bonfire. But, we could probably hang out Saturday?"

"I'm busy Saturday." Andrea was mad. I knew just from the tone of voice.

We fell silent.

"You know, if you just want Kim to be your new best friend you might as well tell me now." Andrea spat.

I was taken back.

"I don't want her to be my new best friend, Andy, you're my best friend."

"Well you're up each other's asses all the time now, I figured you only needed her."

She was being belligerent.

"Andy this is the first friend other than you, that I've ever had. And I do need you! You know that."

Andrea had been my whole reason for sanity most of the time. It was crazy talk for her to even think that I would ever not need her.

I pulled into her driveway and put the car in park.

Andrea had been so different, and it was hardly reasonable that it could be because of my newfound friendship with Kim. I just didn't believe it.

"You know what, Eleanor? Call me when you have time for me." She started to reach for the door and I locked it.

"Stop! Andrea, stop. You're my best friend, and you always have been and you always will be."

She just stared at me. Who was this sitting in front of me? Because it wasn't the Andrea Sen that I had known for five years now. This one was judgmental and harsh and bossy, not the comforting and giggly and kind girl I had grown up with.

She unlocked it and slammed the door behind her as she left.

The next day, we didn't speak.

Jared and Kim were both smiling my way during history, both saying how excited they were for me to finally hear the legends. I didn't really understand the big deal.

And so that evening I bundled myself up in a thick burgundy sweater and heavy black scarf and tall black boots with thick socks. I refused to be cold.

As I drove towards First Beach, I couldn't help but sigh.

Andrea has been my best and only friend since the day I moved here. That's always been enough for me. Now though, I wasn't seeing my best friend Andy. I was seeing the popular Andrea Sen who was better than everyone else: including me.

And then there was Kim, the shy girl whom which was so much like me that it was almost scary. Who suddenly wanted to be my friend and wanted to hang out all the time and introduce me to her friends and make me one of them.

My whole way of life was twisting, and I wasn't sure if I was okay with that.


	8. The Bonfire

**Eleanor POV**

"Eleanor, so nice to see you again!" Emily smiled, hugging me tightly. This time, I hugged her back. When we pulled away I smiled back, and hers grew- if that was even possible.

She pointed me in the direction of everyone else and I felt incredibly self-conscious as I made my way over to the group surrounding the large fire. My eyes searched for Kim but I found myself wishing to see Jacob instead. Which was a completely ridiculous thought because 1.) he broke my best friend's heart, and 2.) Jacob hates me.

"There you are! I thought you weren't coming." Kim rushed to me when we made eye contact and I grinned, apologizing. She shook it off and grasped my wrist, pulling me towards everyone else.

The guys all said their respective hello's and I plopped into the sand beside where Kim and Jared were nestled. I awkwardly leaned back against a log. Everyone began speaking amongst themselves and even though it wasn't to me, I still felt like I belonged and I was included.

I stared into the fire, at the glowing embers. The burned red hot and the flames directly around them licked a faint blue hue. It was fascinating.

I hadn't realized the giant body that had planted itself on the log I was leaning against until his speaking in close proximity broke me out of my trance. My eyes went wide and I turned around, meeting Jacob Black's icy stare. We looked at one another for a moment before he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, breaking the eye contact. My stomach did flops. I turned back to the fire.

"It's, uh," he began, I didn't turn to look at him. "It's good to see you here."

I pursed my lips. It was good to see me here? He hated me, why would it be good to have someone you hate at a place for you and your friends?

I pulled my sweater closer to my body.

And then suddenly, I felt warmth on my back. I turned instantly to see Jacob closer to me than he had been before, his knee pressed softly against my back. Why was his knee so hot? The heat radiated from the point of contact across my back and the fire warmed my face, I was actually almost warm.

He only stared at me for a moment before I turned back around, hesitantly leaning against his touch and allowing the heat to spread once more.

I felt whole. It was a weird way to describe how I felt at the moment, but "whole" seemed to fit. With everyone around us, and Jacob's unusual heat radiating off to keep me warm, and the fire burning and crackling against the darkening sky- it was all right. And I had to admit, this was the best I had felt in a long time.

Embry and Paul were arguing with one another across the fire from me, and my eyes flew to Embry. Embry Call, the boy who I had been in love with for two years. I watched him now and suddenly, I felt nothing. I didn't want to kiss him and I didn't yearn to hear his voice or have him talk to me. It was just washed away, just like that.

They were now wrestling in the sand, Paul holding Embry in a chokehold.

"Hey, uhm," Jacob's voice startled me again and I spun to look at him quickly, "do you want something before we all eat it?"

I stared at him. His features were soft and his eyes genuinely concerned for if I was hungry. I hadn't seen him look like himself in what seemed like forever now and I found myself analyzing his features, taking them all in. Jacob was handsome, we had all known that all along. But it's hard to get a chance to really stare at someone and admire them when they're dating your best and only friend. I found his eyes, those rich chocolate eyes that for once were not cold. They were soft and warm and full of an emotion that made my insides twist and my heart race.

I stopped my train of thoughts, coming back to reality. I shook my head 'no'.

And then I realized that everyone had fallen silent, now staring at Jacob and I.

My cheeks heated up and I instinctively ran a hand down my face and covered my eyes, turning back towards the fire. It was too quiet. I was mortified.

Someone coughed and the sound of conversations started up again, slowly, but surely.

I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and shivers erupted down my spine, I couldn't turn around. My breathing hitched and my heartbeat sped up again, and then a wave of guilt washed over me hard enough to knock out even the most experienced surfer.

This was Jacob Black, my best friend's ex-boyfriend. The one who ignored her after months of dating and broke her heart. And here I was, allowing him to make me blush at just the slightest contact.

I was a horrible best friend.

The hand remained for a moment more and I tried to steady my breathing, keeping my eyes trained on the fire.

"I'll get you something small, okay?"

I couldn't respond to him, I only nodded and then his heat left me- signaling he had gone up to get food with the rest of the guys.

 **Jacob POV**

The wolf had to have taken over. That's the only logical explanation for the way I was acting: was that the wolf had taken over and was easing into the imprint.

I sighed and continued walking over towards the food, turning around once more to look at Eleanor. The fire was illuminating her features, showing how dainty she really was. She had tried to pull back her curls into a little bun at the nape of her neck but she had quite a few unruly spirals that had escaped and now framed her little face. Her eyes were glowing and she looked so tense and anxious that I had to hold myself back from taking her into my arms right there and calming every nerve in her body.

No.

No, I didn't want her in my arms, I didn't want her near me. I sighed again. I knew that was a lie.

As I loaded my plate up with food I had to think hard on what Eleanor liked.

Fruit, I knew she liked fruit. Yeah, that'd be good.

I filled the bowl up with grapes and melon and strawberries and carried the load back over to where she sat. Her eyes went wide as I handed her the bowl and she offered a weak smile- I instinctively returned it.

She picked at her fruit and I found myself watching her as she picked up each piece with purpose. She was definitely something else.

And then my dad rolled over to us and I knew that he would begin telling the legends.

"Why don't you come up here for the legends okay?" I touched her shoulder gently, feeling the energy course up my arm. When she turned to look at me, I gestured towards the seat on the log beside me. She raised an eyebrow at me and searched my eyes for something.

I understood why she was so hesitant with me, I mean, I broke Andrea's heart and stopped speaking to her. I had to. And I hadn't been so nice to Eleanor- I was a downright jackass to her for a good two weeks.

How could fate decide to take away Bella, and then Andrea too? None of it was fair. I didn't want Eleanor, I never did. I wanted Bella, and I really wanted Andrea. I had wanted so badly to look into Andrea's beautiful brown eyes and feel the way I felt when I saw Eleanor. But Sam was right: resisting being with Eleanor was painful. She was made for me, as crazy as it seemed. I couldn't really believe it, to be honest. She was just, so, quirky. The way she moved and spoke and thought, it was all totally bizarre. I understood why people looked at her so strangely, she was something to watch.

Fighting the imprint hurt.

And now as I watched her small body hastily lower itself on the log beside me, I realized I really had no reason to hate her. The only thing that was wrong with her was that fate had chosen her for me.

Fate was cruel.

But this wasn't her fault. And I knew the pain that I felt when I was mean to her, so I could imagine the pain she felt too.

"My dad is the chief," I whispered to her.

Those big green eyes stared up at me in wonder and my heart swelled. She was great.

My dad began speaking and telling the legends. I could recite them by heart at this point, almost all of the guys could. We had heard them a million times over. So I took this time to watch Eleanor.

Her wides were set on my father, full of curiosity. She held on to his every word and even squinted or raised an eyebrow at certain parts. Her little face could crinkle up in the cutest way, and you could see each story running through her mind and being processed and mulled over. He began to tell of the third wife and imprinting and I set my gaze even more intensely on her. She had to accept this. Her stare never faltered and her features never changed, she was just genuinely interested. Which was a good thing.

At some point I felt her lean on me slightly, only her arms and a tiny shift of weight. I knew she was cold and I would at least warm her up a little.

My dad rolled away as soon as he was finished and everyone began to get up and disperse.

Eleanor turned to me, her lips in a thin line as she looked up at me.

"Well, what did you think?" I asked. I could've probably told you the answer before she spoke, though.

"They're fascinating, Jacob! I never knew that the legends were so, so," she searched for the words, her eyes flittering across the ground, "so enchanting." She grinned up at me and I smiled.

The fact that she was so intrigued and accepting of them was a huge bonus.

"Let's get you home," I smirked and hopped up, feeling her presence behind me immediately.


	9. Changing Times

**Eleanor POV**

Andrea went the rest of the weekend without speaking to me, though I couldn't say I was surprised.

The guilt was eating me alive, and I hadn't even done anything. But I had. I had allowed myself to let my guard down around Jacob, that was something that best friends just couldn't do. And so I vowed to myself: I wouldn't fraternize with him. For Andrea. Even if we weren't on the best of terms right now, she was still my best friend.

From the moment I walked through the double doors of La Push High, I knew it wouldn't be a good day.

When I had walked by Andrea's locker she was with Malina Boyd- who made me nervous just being around her. She was mean and bitchy and had even shot me a death glare as I had passed them. Jared and Kim stood by my locker when I arrived, and behind them stood Jacob.

I raised an eyebrow.

His jaw was set and eyebrows scrunched as he focused on the floor in front of him.

I slowed my pace and my eyes shot to Kim, she grinned at me encouragingly. I hesitated to return it as I opened my locker.

Jacob's eyes shot to me immediately and we simply stared at each other for a moment before he coughed and Jared and Kim fled from the scene- leaving just us two.

"Uh, uh, morning." He mumbled out, cautiously stepping towards me. I nodded and faced the inside of my locker, my heart rate picking up immediately.

"Did you read chapters three through five over the weekend?"

He tried again. I shut my locker and my eyes slowly found his, I felt my stomach in my throat. His eyes bore holes into my own and something inside of me tingled.

I nodded again and took a step in the direction of my classroom, Jacob immediately doing the same. I raised an eyebrow, but continued towards my class, his steps falling into sync with mine.

The door was so close, and as I began to slip inside I felt a hot hand gently grasp my forearm.

Jacob.

"I'll see you after, okay?"

I raised my eyebrow again and pulled free from his grasp, turning sharply into the room and hurrying to my desk.

Why was Jacob suddenly trying to be around me? Not even a week ago he was glaring at me and going out of his way to make me feel horrible. Now he was suddenly walking me to class and saying he'd see me after? I couldn't have him doing that. Andrea was already mad enough at me, I didn't need her seeing that. She'd never forgive me.

Embry had taken to making small talk again, but at this point, I could really say that it didn't affect me for some reason. I had been so head over heels for the kid for years and suddenly he comes around all buff and handsome and I feel nothing. It made no sense whatsoever.

I felt a ball in the pit of my stomach as the clock ticked towards the end of class.

I couldn't decide if it was the subconscious excitement to see Jacob, or the very conscious fact that he made me so nervous. But I wasn't ready to see him. But I needed to see him.

Nothing was making sense.

The bell rang.

I could've crawled into a corner and cried when I saw Jacob's looming figure waiting by the door for me.

And then he turned and looked at me with such a look that my skin crawled and my stomach was in my throat. He smiled. My eyes flew to the floor and my efforts to avoid him were futile. I had just hardly scurried a foot past him when I felt his presence behind me.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

I couldn't meet his eyes. I just shook my head.

He kept pace with me and his eyes were filled with concern, they never left the side of my face.

As my next classes door came into sight I felt my own feet quicken up, my heart was pounding against my chest and I could feel Jacob's body heat beside me, his eyes still trained on me.

The day passed on, and Andrea didn't speak to me and Jacob didn't leave me alone. He never spoke, yet he waited for me after each class and walked me to the following.

When lunch came, things took a turn for the worst.

I waited by the door for Andrea, though when she came in with Malina she simply brushed past me and into the line. I slowly followed.

"Andy, uhm," I began. Her eyes flashed to me for a moment before she scoffed and turned back to Malina, laughing at something she had said.

I was dumbfounded. I suddenly had no desire to eat.

I watched as Andrea and Malina pranced towards Malina's lunch table. I was left standing there alone.

The walls closed in around me and the lump in my throat was the size of a basketball. I felt my breathing hitch and my eyes pricked with hot tears, threatening to spill over the edges.

And then the hot hand grasped my shoulder and I fell back to earth with a sharp inhale.

Jacob.

He stood beside me, his face too close to mine as he leaned down. His eyebrows were scrunched together and he wore a pained expression.

"Eleanor, what's wrong?"

I shook my head and shrugged his hand off of me.

"No, no, tell me what's wrong."

He sounded pained. My stomach lurched and I shut my eyes. I felt it creeping on. I wasn't okay.

"It's fine, it's fine," I repeated to myself, that's what they always told me to do when I felt like I could lose it. And so I repeated it in my head and I felt Jacob's body heat radiating towards me.

"Eleanor, come sit with us, okay?" I heard Kim's meek voice and felt her tender touch on my wrist, gently pulling me with her. I opened my eyes and released a deep breath. I was better now.

As I sat down at their table beside Kim and Jacob, something clicked. Something fell into place. An overwhelming feeling of wholeness washed over me.

The guys were loud and their laughter boomed in the cafeteria. They ate ridiculous amounts of food and Kim and I whispered with one another.

I felt Andrea's eyes on me every now and then. I knew she was mad at me.

But right now as Jacob turned to me with bright eyes and a smile sweet enough to rot your teeth, I didn't care.


	10. What Family Feels Like

I know that it took me far too long to update the last chapter and I apologize! So I figured that I would try and make up for it by updating again super quickly, so here you go! Thank you once again to everyone who continues to follow, favorite, and review the story. I'm completely grateful and am so excited to share Eleanor's story with everyone!

 **Eleanor POV**

By the time that English rolled around that day, I was ready to jump out of my skin. Jacob walked with me to class, which was no surprise, only this time we actually had the class together. He pulled out my chair for me and I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, I shut my eyes as I sat down and inhaled deeply. I couldn't take this. I was the worst best friend ever and now Andrea was even more mad at me and everything was falling apart.

I didn't want Jacob's attention, I didn't want anyone's attention. I didn't want to be friends with Kim Conweller or Emily Young and I didn't want to be among the infamous "gang" of La Push. I wanted everything to go back to normal where Andrea was my best friend and I was hopelessly in love with Embry Call where he hardly had any idea I existed. I wanted to walk to class alone and have sleepovers with Andy every weekend and go to her house for family game nights. And I wanted my dad to care about me. To ask me how my day went or how school was going or what I wanted for dinner. I wanted my sister to call me and tell me stories about home, and mom. I wanted my mom. I wanted my mom to tell me what to do.

When I opened my eyes Jacob was staring at me, again. I wanted to cover my face and hide from the attention.

Class went only dreadfully slow and I was out of the room the moment the bell rang. Jacob was close behind me though, he didn't speak this time as I fled the building to my car and he didn't follow me out the doors.

My car rides home were quite now as I didn't have Andy with me, the silence was deafening yet I couldn't bring myself to turn on the radio. My skin was crawling and my throat was clenching, I knew when I got home that I needed to take my medicine, I couldn't handle myself.

Dad was home for once. His briefcase lay beside the door and the tv was on when I walked in. The movie Terminator played, his light eyes focussing in on it.

"Hi dad!" I chimed, I was better now. And optimistic. I was hoping for the best.

"Hello, Eleanor." He replied, his stare on the tv screen never faltering. I hesitantly sat beside him on the couch and for a moment his eyes flittered in my direction. Only for a moment though before they were back to the tv.

We sat there in silence, the sound of the movie the only noise in our perpetually quiet house. It wasn't the kind of silence a father and daughter were supposed to have though. This is what you would expect from two strangers who were just unfortunate enough to sit near one another on the subway. Not what you would expect from family.

If that was even what you would call us anymore.

I wouldn't.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and unknown number flashing against the screen. I knew who it was without even opening the txt.

Jacob.

 _"It's Jacob, come to Emily's for dinner?"_

No.

No, I couldn't go. That would just be asking for trouble.

And so of course, that's why I found myself driving down the familiar dirt road to Sam Uley's house.

I was out of my mind.

Yet I couldn't resist the pull that led me there.

The sounds of their laughter assaulted my ears before I had even reached the screen door. It flew open in front of me and Jared's cackling laughter bubbled out towards me, his dopey smile greeting me. I couldn't help but grin up at him.

"Jared cut the shit!" Jacob's voice growled from somewhere inside, Jared's smile grew and he released another belly laugh, "HA! You _were_ excited!"

He finally turned his attention back to me, "Welcome back, Eleanor. I thought we scared you off last time!" He grinned.

I giggled and followed him inside, taking in the scene before me.

Emily leaned against the counter, oven-mitts on each hand. Kim sat tentatively on the edge of a kitchen seat, her eyes wide and her smile wider- big teeth and all. In one swift motion Jared swept her into his lap and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek.

And then there was Jacob.

Casually leaning against the doorframe leading into the living room, clad in a tight white t-shirt and cutoff shorts, eyes trained on me.

I averted my eyes and felt my cheeks heat up. I inwardly scolded myself.

"Eleanor! I'm so happy to see you!" Emily smiled and made her way over to me, gently wrapping her arms around me. For the first time, I leaned into it. I leaned into it, and returned the gesture. And I sighed in relief. This was the first motherly gesture I had received and accepted since I moved away from my mom. And it was nice.

We separated and she hurried back to the stove to check on a steaming pot, "I hope you like spaghetti!" She sing-songed. I nodded, I liked most things.

The room fell into conversations and loud laughter once more, and it was all so right. For some reason I might never know the answer to, everything felt at ease when I was with them all.

And then I realized it. That this was what family felt like. It was when the itching at your skin faded away and your breathing was natural and you didn't worry about losing it, the thought never even crosses your mind. I hadn't felt so calm in what seemed like forever.

Dinner was filled with laughter as the guys gobbled down unusual amounts of spaghetti, Emily scolding them for their lack of table manners, and Kim turning to me occasionally and whispering little jokes into my ear. She sat to my right, Jacob to my left.

Afterwards I found myself plopped down on the brown couch in the cozy living room. Jared had left and Embry and Paul took his place.

Paul groaned with exhaustion and raided the small kitchen for food, wolfing down everything he could find. Embry, on the other hand, took this as an opportunity to bounce back and forth between Kim and Emily, taking turns in annoying each of them. I giggled at him and covered my mouth with my hand.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Jacob's voice caught my attention and I looked up at him, looming over me with his newfound height and muscles. His eyebrow was raised and his eyes grazing over me, sending chills all over my body. I shrugged and gulped.

The couch sighed beside me as it took on his weight and I immediately felt his body heat radiating towards me.

"I'm really glad you came tonight,"

His mouth was close to my ear and shivers engulfed my entire body. I squeezed my eyes shut.

I couldn't handle this.

I slowly opened my eyes and he was still staring at me, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion and concern. I hated when he looked at me like that. But I loved it. And I hated it even more because I loved it, because I can't fraternize with him. For Andy. It was so wrong and I couldn't do that kind of thing to her.

Then I felt his arm slip around my shoulders, the heat wrapping itself around me and filling me with warmth. Something inside of me twanged and I felt my body relax against his side, molding into it. My heart raced so hard I feared it might crack a rib. And he seemed so calm about it, the relaxed and comfortable expression gracing his features while I was right beside him on the brink of losing my cool. I tensed up. He knew.

The sensation was calming and startling all at once. And I had no idea why.

Why was I so totally drawn to my best friend's ex boyfriend? That broke every rule in the best friend rule book. Yet here I was, subconsciously easing against his very touch. It was absurd. I was horrible.

I exhaled and coughed and was on my feet in a second, leaving a very confused Jacob sitting on the couch.

When I told Emily I was leaving she sighed and nodded knowingly, embracing me quickly and making me promise to return soon. I looked to Jacob once more and I met his sad brown eyes. They were sad.

I felt something in my chest pull as I turned away from him and hurried out the front door.


	11. The Breakdown

**Jacob POV**

Why did Eleanor constantly run away from me? I mean, I get that she has no idea why I did what I did to Andrea. But she has to feel the pull, right? I knew I couldn't be the only one that was constantly dying to be in the presence of the other. I had listened to Sam and Jared long enough to know that the imprintee felt almost as much as the imprinter did.

As I waited for Eleanor at her locker that morning, the anticipation of seeing her porcelain features drove me wild.

"I don't know what you're up to, Jacob. But it's disgusting, really."

Andrea's voice snapped me out of my trance and my eyes shot up to meet her. She stormed towards me, her heeled boots clicking loudly against the tile floor and her brown eyes wild with anger.

Months ago I had stared into those eyes with the total thought process that she was the love of my life.

They were a lot like Bella's, and I had thought the same about her too.

"What?"

I raised an eyebrow, finally processing what she had said to me.

What I'm up to? What was she even talking about?

"Don't act stupid. Eleanor, really? Really, Jake?"

I stared at her. So did everyone else in the hallway, all of which who had stopped to watch the scene unfold.

"Listen, I don't know what is going on inside that messed up head of yours. But bringing Eleanor into your little sick scheme is disgusting. As if she needs more shit in her life."

I felt my anger rise, the wolf begging to take over. I had to keep it together though, I had to. I fought against it, resisting the shaking and gritting my teeth.

"I care about Eleanor." I had to be short to keep my jaw locked. I knew my knuckles were white from my clenched fists.

Andrea snorted out a burst of laughter. Malina stood beside her and giggled- I glared at her.

"Oh please," she began, I felt something inside of me twist- probably just the anger-, "Eleanor is pathetic. So the sooner you stop stringing her along the better. She might start to think that she's actually with your time."

And with that, her and Malina took off down the hall.

Leaving Eleanor's small figure standing behind where they once were.

My heart ripped in two as I focused in on her. Those beautiful pools of mint green were filled to the brim with tears, her entire body shaking. Her thin lips were turned downwards, though she occasionally sucked them in in an attempt to steady herself. I could hear her breathing- heavy and pained.

My heart ached and I felt sick to my stomach as I watched my little imprint fight away the tears.

I was to her in two strides, immediately reaching out towards her, my every being begging to touch her.

"No, stop," she sniffled, turning her body away from me. I ached to touch her, to comfort her, so I took a step closer.

Her hands flew to her face, near her eyes. I could see she was fighting back the tears and I took another step closer, my hand hovering above the small of her back.

"C'mon, Eleanor, I'll drive you home," I gently touched her, leading her towards the double doors as she tried to steady her breathing.

"I can't skip school."

"You can today."

I could kill Andrea. She knew Eleanor was there when she said those things.

My wolf inside was livid, ripping at my muscles and begging to be released. I would not lose my cool near Eleanor, ever.

I opened the passenger door for her and she looked to me with wide eyes before handing me the keys and turning to look away from me. I slid into the drivers seat and started up the old car, whipping out of the parking lot. Of course I knew where Eleanor lived, I had patrolled near her back yard for weeks, even before I actually accepted the imprint; she was my soulmate, I had to make sure she was okay.

I could hardly keep my eyes on the road.

Eleanor pulled her legs up onto the seat with her, casting one arm over her knees and the other ripping it's way through her curls, capturing a bundle of them in her little fist. She dropped her forehead to rest on her knees and turned her face away from me, and then came the tears. I heard them before her shoulders began shaking. She tried to muffle them with the fabric of her jeans but the fits of sobs would be hard to miss, even if it weren't for my wolf hearing.

Though I tried to continue down the road, I couldn't. I couldn't stop myself from pulling the car over and throwing it into park.

"Eleanor," I pleaded. She coughed and refused to look at me. I wouldn't allow it.

In a moment I was out of the car and flinging open the passenger door, kneeling down on the ground to come to eye level with her.

Her head came up and revealed her tear stained cheeks, faint streams of black makeup falling down her little face. I wiped them away and held her face, she looked up at me with those big eyes and my heart melted. Her breathing eased a little.

"You're okay." I nodded to her and she just stared at me, her eyes examining my face.

What was she looking for?

"Do you want to go home?"

She sighed and looked away, her eyes focussing in on something on the floor, she finally nodded after a minute. I wiped her eyes once more before returning to my position in the drivers seat.

I was to her house in no time and she was up the front steps before I even took the key out of the ignition, but I hesitantly followed her up the steps anyway.

Walking into her front door was something totally foreign to me. The inside of the house looked nothing like I would've expected. And as I thought about it, I didn't really know much about Eleanor at all, definitely not enough to know what I would've expected for a home for her. This wasn't it though.

The entry way was white. Plain white. A thin hallway with a door way at the end and what I assumed was a closet in between me and there. Her small figure retreated through that doorway and I slowly followed, taking notice to the bare walls devoid of any photos. The floors were all cherry wood, no carpets anywhere. We emerged in an almost bare living room: tan walls, small brown leather couch, brown recliner, tv and TV stand on the far wall; not a photo in sight. To the right of this room was the kitchen: white walls, stainless steel appliances, no pictures.

I had never seen a house so bare, so lacking all personal meaning. I found myself standing there, staring at everything before me, forgetting about Eleanor as she nestled herself into the corner of the leather couch and brought her hands to her face.

The twist in my stomach caught my attention and brought it to her immediately, my insides begging to take her into my arms and make this better.

I eased onto the couch beside her and immediately saw her small body shaking, the tears taking absolute control of her. She coughed out a sob. They were louder than they were in the car; she let it all out right here.

Watching her was agony.

I knew she didn't want me here though to begin with, and so I knew I couldn't hold her.

My insides twisted and I felt sick and the wolf inside of me was ripping and tearing at the edges. He was furious at Andrea. He wanted to coddle Eleanor.

My hand was reaching out towards her before I even knew it. I laid it on her thin shoulder, she was so cold compared to me. Her body vibrated with tears and she began hiccuping from crying.

I didn't have words for the way that I felt.

"El," I began.

"Don't call me that!" She sobbed out, her desire to be angry outweighing the sobs.

I was taken back.

"Andy calls me that." She mumbled.

I felt my heard crumple. I had totally forgotten that fact. Quite honestly I had tried forgetting everything about Andrea. I had to.

"I'm sorry."

After a while, she finally turned towards me, her hands covering her eyes. I eased closer to her and hesitantly pried them away, those big green eyes staring up at me. With every fiber in my being I wished to kiss away those tears.

I'm not saying that I was totally ready to be with this girl for the rest of my life.

I am saying though, that I did not hate her.

By any means, whatsoever.


	12. Jacob Thinks About You All The Time

I want to apologize for having taken so long to update the last few chapters! School just began and things have been hectic but I've finally caught up with everything and the story will continue on. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed lately!

 **Eleanor POV**

It had been two days since my meltdown with Jacob when Harry Clearwater died. The following day, Seth wasn't in school- as expected. And neither was Jacob. Or Jared or Paul. Or Embry.

Things were oddly quiet- out of place and wrong.

When lunch came around I felt eyes on me. Everyone had heard what Andrea had said about me. It was horrifying to feel the stares. They all knew what a loser I was. At one point I had been able to hide behind Andrea's image and her affection for me. But now, I was wide open for everyone to judge.

My eyes roamed the cafeteria and found Kim, her eyes already on me. She offered a meek smile and waved me over to her empty table.

She looked so small at the table in the back corner of the cafeteria, considering that she was usually guarded by one of the guys. Even though she was fairly tall compared to me, she was still dwarfed by them. Where she stood at 5'7" I was only able to reach up to her chin with my 5'2" stature. I had stopped growing when we moved here.

"Where are the guys?" I asked as I sat down across from her. Her eyes scanned the room before coming back to look at me briefly and then shooting down to her food.

"Uhm, I don't know." She casually shrugged, but I knew she was lying. It wasn't hard to tell.

I'd like to think that Kim and I were fairly similar on some levels, considering she was just as much of an outcast as me before her and Jared got together. I really had been able to find a sweet friendship with her, I might go as far to say.

I left it at that though.

"It's not true."

I looked up and met her eyes, wide with emotion. I raised an eyebrow at her outburst.

"What Andrea said. About Jacob leading you along. It's not true."

I shrugged and looked back to my food. Some part of me knew it wasn't anyway.

"He really likes you, Eleanor."

Now I almost choked on my crackers. I looked back up I knew my eyes were crazy wide.

"What?"

We stared at each other. She grinned.

Jacob didn't like me. Just a few weeks ago, Jacob hated me. And I mean, he had been so good to me lately, but he probably just felt bad for being so mean and was trying to make up for it. Right?

"Jared said Jacob thinks about you all the time." She had a hint of playfulness in her voice, like I was missing out on some inside joke. I just continued to stare at her.

After a minute I complete shook it off and resumed eating.

I had to say it was weird not having Jacob to walk with to each class. It was even weirder not having him beside me in English. I felt so lonely in the back of the room and my head buzzed.

My dad was home when I got home from school, which was unusual. He sat at the kitchen table and ate a sandwich as I walked in the door, hardly acknowledging me when I passed by.

"Your sister called." He mumbled. I stopped hopping up the stairs and faced him. He never looked at me, nor said anything else.

The moment I shut the bedroom door behind me I had my phone in my hands and Julianna's contact pulled up on the screen.

I hit the call button.

It rang once and picked up, her young voice chiming on the other end.

"Elli! Hi!"

I smiled.

"Julianna, dad said you had called,"

"Yeah, I did," her voice went a little quiet, "I forgot about the whole time difference thing."

"Well, it's okay. Why'd you call?"

She hesitated on the other end and sighed.

"I missed you."

I sighed and ran a hand through my curls, plopping onto the bed.

"I missed you too."

We went silent.

"I have a boyfriend!" The outburst shocked me but I giggled.

"Is he cute?"

"Would I date him if he wasn't?" She giggled out, "No but really, he is. It's Adrien Minor, I don't know if you remember his big sister Allyson but she was like a year older than you."

I tried to remember Allyson's face, I knew the name. She had black hair and piercing blue eyes and if I remember correctly, so did Adrien.

"I guess I do, kinda."

"Do you have any special guys?"

Julianna was only in eighth grade, I had really forgotten the importance of a boyfriend at that age but I envied her for being so young still. Because this sucked.

I thought of Jacob. Was he special? No. No, he wasn't. Just because my stomach did flops when he smiled, and just because he was always with me and smiling at everything I did, didn't mean he was special.

"No."

"Hm."

I put the call on speakerphone and went to my photos, seeking the one of Julianna that my mom had sent my dad a few months ago.

I found it.

There was no doubt that Julianna and I were sisters. The pale skin, the wild blonde curls, the light green eyes, it was all so similar. She had braces, much like I had at that age. And she made them look fantastic. She was little too- just like me. We got it from our mother, considering my dad loomed over me.

Not like Jacob, though.

"Eleanor,"

My dad's voice calling up the stairs made me jump. He never yelled for me.

I padded towards the door and opened it, raising an eyebrow.

"Someone's here for you."

His eyes were serious and I was confused. I reluctantly got off the phone with Julianna and slowly went downstairs.

When I got down there, I could've cried.

Before me stood Jacob Black, standing in our kitchen, hands in pockets and glance cast towards the wooden floor.

My dad stood in between us, eyebrows raised and hands on hips. I was at a loss for words.

Jacob looked up to meet my eyes and his eyes softened.

"Dad, uhm, dad, this is Jacob, my friend, Jacob Black." It all stumbled out of my mouth. I was a stuttering, stumbling, mess.

Jacob chuckled and reached his hand out to my father. My heart was pounding against my ribcage and I watched in surprise as my dad offered a small smile and shook his hand.

This was incredible.

"I'll be in my room." My dad mumbled out before brushing past me and up the stairs- leaving Jacob and I alone.

"What are you doing here?"

"Let's go to the living room."

I stared at him, baffled. He ignored my question. And acted like this was his house. Yet I followed him to my own couch and sat down beside him. I pulled my feet up and sat Indian style, facing him.

"I came to say I'm sorry for not being in school today."

Now I was even more baffled. That's it? That's why he was here?

"The guys and I were, uh, comforting Seth and Leah- since their dad died. I won't be in school tomorrow, but Embry and Paul should be."

I nodded, still curious as to why it mattered.

"They'll take care of you if anything happens." He just kept talking and I just just kept getting more confused by the minute, but I just kept nodding.

"I'll take you to Emily's soon for dinner, if you'd like?"

Emily. I'd love to go to Emily's. I actually found myself needing to see her and be around her and Kim and the pack. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I found myself smiling and nodding.

"I'd like that."

Jacob smiled largely at this, his eyes glimmering and making my stomach do twirls.

He stood up and I followed suit, looking up to meet his glance. He beamed down at me and his eyes filled with that same emotion that they had began to do weeks ago.

"I'll come see you tomorrow, okay?"

And I nodded again.

I couldn't stop thinking about what Kim had said earlier about Jacob liking me. He couldn't like me, he just couldn't. No one liked me. As if that wasn't enough, he was my best friend's ex boyfriend, who broke her heart. I knew Andrea didn't really like me anymore anyway, but I still felt wrong doing something like this. Whatever this was. But at the same time, I felt so right.


	13. A Call From A Stranger?

Thank you as always for the reviews, follows, and favorites! It means so much to me and I love that people are as in love with Eleanor and her story as I am. I take every review with a suggestion into consideration and one has really caught my eye. Thank you to _shippergirlky_ for your review which brought up a totally new idea! As you'll see later in this chapter, it begins. I plan on updating extremely soon, considering I'm beyond excited to share more. Thank you to everyone!

 **Eleanor POV**

As promised, Embry and Paul were in school the following day. Embry looked to me with big eyes as I sat down in chemistry, scratching his neck and seeming to search for the right words.

"Jake should be back soon." He stumbled out, throwing me a nervous grin.

I nodded and turned back to my notes, wondering why he would assume that I would care.

Lunch was slightly less quiet in comparison to yesterday, considering Embry pestered Paul the entire time. I felt bad for hardly speaking with Kim,though I really just didn't have the desire to.

I missed Jacob.

I had a hard time admitting it to myself, considering how many "rules" I had attempted to set for myself when it came to him. But I did. Walking by myself to class had become something foreign once again, and the seat beside me in English longed for his presence. Despite how fun the others were at lunch, I still really only enjoyed talking to him.

When I discovered that my dad wasn't home when I got there, I was surprisingly pleased. I was practically bouncing in anticipation for Jacob's arrival.

And soon enough, I heard the calming knock on the front door. I practically sprained an ankle as I sprinted to the door.

"Did you run down here?" He smirked down at me, I felt my cheeks go ablaze and I cast my eyes towards my feet.

He chuckled and gently tugged at my arm, I looked up and grinned. My stomach did flops and his eyes did that thing.

"You can come in," I sidestepped and he walked in, wandering down the hallway and into the living room- I followed. Seeing him in my house was so strange to me, something completely peculiar in retrospect to my typical life. This was Jacob Black- Andy's Jacob. One half of the La Push High power couple.

Causally sitting in my plain brown love seat, awaiting my presence beside him.

It just wasn't typical.

This was bizarre.

I stood in the doorway and watched as he leniently threw an arm over the back of the couch and lay his leg out across it, grabbing the remote off of the coffee table along the way and flipping on the television. It was like it was so natural to him to lounge around my living room. He lit the room up, he made the empty area feel complete.

Watching him was like a gift. I had always been well aware of the fact that Jacob was a beautiful creature, now though, it just seemed more amplified than ever. Like there had been some shift.

His cropped hair, his rich brown eyes, chiseled jaw and gently parted lips.

He was something magnificent.

Something out of a fairytale.

"Eleanor?" His voice broke me out of thought; I realized I had been caught staring.

My cheeks heated up once more and I ran a hand through my curls, he chuckled.

"Come here." He patted the spot beside him and I hesitantly wandered over towards him and sat down.

I could feel his body heat radiating off around me, the hottest point being his leg behind me.

The television buzzed and though the moment was almost as awkward as it could get, something about it just felt right. Like this was how it was supposed to be.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around at school." He mumbled.

He found a stray curl along my shoulder and twirled it around his finger, his eyes captured by the spiral. The motion sent chills up my spine.

I shrugged.

"I should be back tomorrow, we've got it fairly under control for the most part." He mumbled out again, his eyes never leaving my hair.

Fairly under control for the most part?

"I thought you guys were comforting Seth and Leah?"

His hand stopped and he shut his eyes for a moment before he sighed, "Yeah. Yeah, we are. It's, uh, it's been a little rough. Seth's taking it pretty well. Leah, on the other hand, well."

At this point his hand has grasped a larger curl, playing it through his fingers. Though he seemed to be speaking honestly, I couldn't help but feel like there was more.

"I miss Emily." I mumbled. I hadn't even realized I had spoken until I felt the words leave my lips.

He smiled at me, his eyes lighting up. "I'll take you back some time, soon. Seth should be back in school by Friday."

I had a hard time finding a connection between the two things, but I let it go and allowed myself to be excited to see Emily again. He continued to twirl my curls around his fingertips when I heard his phone begin to ring.

He groaned and struggled to pull it from his pocket, yet a look of disgust tore across his face as he looked at the screen. I raised an eyebrow and he pursed his lips before answering the call.

"What do you want?"

I hadn't heard such a monotone from him in what felt like forever. The voice on the other end spoke, though I couldn't hear.

"You made your choice, Bella. I have to go."

And with that, he ended the call.

Who was Bella? I hadn't heard the name in almost a year, and I only briefly remembered Andy mentioning something about her. But she wasn't important. Just a stranger.

He turned and faced me, finding my eyes and smiling. My cheeks heated up and I looked away. I couldn't handle the intensity of his stares, the emotion in them scaring me.

Jacob left shortly after that. Though we sparsely spoke, his presence made me feel better regardless. I wasn't exactly sure where we stood, or if we did at all. I guess I didn't really understand it. He goes from being in love with my best friend, to breaking her heart, to hating me, to always wanting to be around me.

The following day in school as Andrea threw a glare in my direction, I couldn't take it anymore. Malina wasn't attached to her hip for once, and I jumped on this opportunity.

Her eyes widened slightly as I made my way over to her and she cocked an eyebrow.

"Andy, I can't do this. I can't do this whole not speaking thing."

She stared at me for a moment and frowned, sighing.

"Talk to me, please. I don't even know what I did." I pleaded with her now.

I missed my best friend, more than anything. I didn't care what she had said, I missed her.

"Eleanor, I don't know what you want me to say. You were leaving me for Sam's little gang, just like Jacob did."

I was baffled by her words. I was leaving her for Sam? It was absurd of her to even assume that.

"What? No, no Andy, I wasn't."

"You were always with Kim. And she's one of them."

"Just because she's 'one of them' doesn't mean I was becoming one. When have I ever been in a spot to turn down friends?"

She stared at me, her eyes boring into mine and her lips sucked in. She was thinking.

"Let's hangout today."

I smiled at her and nodded, "Let's go to your house, though. Anthony's having friends over." She rolled her eyes and giggled.

I was ecstatic. Andrea was coming over. She didn't hate me. My best friend didn't hate me.

Jacob didn't walk me to first period, but he waited outside the door as soon as it was over, escorting me to my next class. I didn't tell him that Andrea was coming over after school.

Maybe I should've.


	14. I hate you, Eleanor

**Eleanor POV**

I should've known that something would go wrong.

I had to know that things wouldn't just fall back together as I had once hoped.

It had almost seemed as if we would come back together as best friends, just like we used to be. Like we would've totally been able to clear the slate, and return to our perfect friendship.

"Will you make me mac n cheese? Pleaseeee?" Andrea groaned, I giggled and nodded, tossing my bag onto the floor and heading towards the kitchen.

She followed suit and slung herself into a table chair, giggling.

I pulled the box from the cupboard and the pot from the cabinet and began to pour in the hot water.

"I'm sorry."

Andrea broke me from my trance, I turned to face her with wide eyes.

"Don't worry about it, I mean, it's okay now." I tried to shrug it off, continuing on the task at hand.

"I just," she began, pausing to rest her cheek against the table, "you've been my best friend since sixth grade. And Jacob was, I thought, the love of my life. He left me for Sam and Jared and them, and then you start hanging out with Kim, and. And I just thought I would lose you next."

I was shocked, to say the least. I was at a loss for words.

How could she possibly think that I was leaving her? She was all I had had since I was eleven years old, I owed her everything. She was why I had survived as long as I had, why I had held onto my sanity as long as I had. Giving up our friendship would've been the absolute most foolish thing a person in my position could have ever done.

"You couldn't lose me if you tried, Andy."

I'll admit, I wasn't good at tenderness.

It's not that I didn't feel insane gratitude for her, it's not that I didn't love my best friend whole heartedly. I just wasn't good with words. I couldn't express it.

How was one who was so mentally unstable at all times supposed to show and tell every feeling they had? It was honestly easier to just show none.

Jacob had been the first person, excluding Andrea, who had seen me cry since my sister died. And I was even ashamed that he had seen that. Yet a part of me accepted it.

When the macaroni and cheese was made I sat across from her at the table and we chattered as we ate, as if nothing had happened.

She didn't speak of Malina and I didn't speak of Jacob and Kim.

That was something different. I had never not said something around her, albeit the select few times when I had been around Jacob at Emily's and hadn't told her.

But it was nice.

Until the knock on the front door.

I knew who it was as soon as I heard it, though I tried to pretend I didn't know.

Andrea had looked to me with curious eyes and had followed me to the living room as I went to answer it.

My stomach was in my throat.

I felt myself begin to shake and I gulped.

Here goes nothing.

And there, Jacob stood.

Tall, and beautiful, and smiling down at me with a look that movie stars would kill for.

"There's my favorite girl,"

He smiled at me and though my stomach dared to do flops, the realization of what was about to take place was making me want to be sick.

I squinted my eyes shut and immediately heard her feet patter to the opening of the hallway and stop.

Here it comes.

"What is this?!" Her voice shrieked out, I winced and opened my eyes to find Jacob's wide.

This was going to be a mess, I knew it. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it.

"Your favorite girl? What the hell?!" She came towards us, I instinctively turned to face her.

"How long has this been going on?" Her eyes were wide with fury and her forehead was crumpled together in anger.

"You don't understand, Andy, it's-"

"No, I do understand. I understand that you are the worst best friend in the world. Now I need you to understand this: I hate you, Eleanor."

Her words stung and she shouldered me as she fled my house, throwing herself into her car and speeding out of my driveway.

I was left there, everything crumbling around me with Jacob still behind me. I just stood there in the doorway and watched where she had once been. I guess I was in shock.

I had no words when Nia died, either.

The police stood on our doorstep and told my parents, I had stood behind them and listened. And I had continued to stand there, long after they had left and long after my parents had fled to the living room to cry. And that night I had slept in that spot, crumpled in a ball on the floor and silent.

I hadn't cried until three days after, when I went running into her room asking her where my shirt was. Only to find the room empty and left just as it had been the day she died.

That's when I cried.

I collapsed right there and sobbed for hours until my parents had found me there and carried me back to my bedroom.

"Eleanor." Jacob's soft voice and warm grasp pulled me from my memory and forced me to look up at him. I just stared at him. His eyebrows scrunched together in upset and his eyes scanned my face a hundred times over.

I shut my eyes and exhaled and I felt his arms hesitantly mold around me, tugging me to his chest. I let it happen. I didn't object to his warm embrace, and I allowed for the heat to engulf my body.

One hand tenderly rubbed between my shoulder blades and one worked its way through my curls and I allowed my hands to come up and rest on his back- as far up as I could reach considering that his size swallowed mine.

I wanted to object, I wanted to chase after Andy and tell her that it wasn't true, that we didn't have anything going on. Because we didn't. Did we?

No. No, nothing was going on.

I didn't know him, and he didn't know me.

Yet something about the way that his hand carefully wove through my hair and the way that his scent heightened all of my senses made me question everything.

I don't know how long we stood there hugging, the door wide open and the cool spring air blowing through my small house.

What was my life turning to? Months ago Andrea was my best friend, no question about it. Jacob and her were the power couple, madly in love and destined to be together. I was crazy about Embry and he hardly knew I existed. In such a short span of time, it was all so wrong now.

But somehow it was all so right.

Jacob's phone started buzzing.

I pulled my face from his chest and looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. He sighed and I pulled from his embrace, feeling cold the moment I did it.

"What?"

His voice was cold once more. I had a feeling almost immediately on who it was.

"You keep those," he paused, looked down at me and shutting his eyes, "keep them away from here."

I watched his eyebrows scrunch together with aggravation and his free hand casually reach up and roam through my hair. I subconsciously leaned into his touch. It just felt so good.

"No, Bella. No."

He hung up. I knew it was Bella.

"Eleanor, please, don't pay any attention to her. Okay?"

I nodded in response.

But I lied.


	15. The Red Pickup Truck

I know that this chapter isn't really eventful but I had to make a filler so I could lead into the next one. Once again, thank you to those that continue to read the story, those that follow and favorite, and especially those that review!

 **Eleanor POV**

And then came the weekend. After a few minor arguments with Jacob regarding him coming over, I had finally gotten the weekend to myself. I had laid on top of my covers for hours upon end, thinking about everything. My life was going on a long spiral and I wasn't sure if it was going up or down. Nothing was making sense. And I was simply going with it.

Monday morning came and the first thing I noticed was Seth Clearwater.

He was huge. And his once long and shaggy hair was now cropped.

Just like Jacob and Embry and Paul and Jared.

And now he was attached to them like glue, chuckling and releasing belly laughs that could've knocked the whole school down.

Jacob came to my locker that morning and smiled down at me, making my stomach flop. I looked away though, trying to hide the blood rushing to me cheeks as I placed my books on the top shelf.

"Hey Jake this is her?" Seth bounded up beside him, his eyes twinkling. He was practically bouncing. Jacob sighed and let out a chuckle, turning towards him.

This is her?

"Yeah, this is her." He smiled at me and Seth's eyes followed as he grinned.

"Eleanor, right? Eleanor, you should hear what he thinks about you, nonstop, I swear. Every single time we're out together it's 'Eleanor this, Eleanor that' the guys and I never hear the end of it, I-"

"Seth! Get to class, kid."

Jacob interrupted him and Seth looked to him bashfully, chucking and mumbling 'sorry' before hurrying off.

My cheeks were flaming red, my stomach twisting in loops.

He 'thought about me'? How would the guys know what he was thinking?

Maybe he just meant talking.

That day at lunch, Seth joined the table.

Him and the guys were louder than normal, Kim and I huddling close and giggling quietly.

"Has Jacob told you about dinner this week?" Kim took a bite out of her sandwich, her eyes wide as she waited for my response.

I shook my head no and she sighed, catching both Jacob and Jared's attention.

"Well, Emily is having a big dinner on Wednesday at her house. And obviously you're invited." She smiled and I felt Jacob's eyes find me, feeling safe under their watch.

"Hey I was going to mention it," Jacob chuckled, leaning against me, his body heat snaking up my arm. Kim rolled her eyes and Jared wrapped an arm around her shoulders, tucking her beneath his arm.

The guys laughed loudly at something Paul said and Kim rolled her eyes to me before giggling.

Andrea and Malina shot daggers across the room to me, but for once, I didn't care.

By the time Wednesday came around I was itching to see Emily once more again. I heard as Jacob's rabbit pulled into the front yard and I grabbed my forest green rain slicker, throwing it on over the cream sweater I wore. As I threw open my bedroom door I immediately heard voices speaking, cringing when I realized it was Jacob and my father.

"She'll be back by nine, I assure you." Jacob smiled to my father before his eyes found me, filling with that look. My father nodded and shuffled out of the room, mumbling a "goodbye" as he ascended the stairs.

I looked back to Jacob and smiled. He was beautiful.

Far too beautiful to be wanting to spend so much time around someone like me.

It was raining harder than usual when we pulled up to Sam and Emily's house but the building gave off such a warm and homey glow that it was easy to ignore.

Emily greeted me with a tight embrace, in which I graciously returned, and a tender kiss upon my cheek.

"How are you, Miss Eleanor?" She smiled at me and I smiled back, beaming with excitement to be back.

"I'm good!" She smiled once more and wandered back to the kitchen beginning to stir something in a large bowl.

I took notice to Quil sitting on the floor with a young girl in front of him, he had joined the lunch table and grown tenfold almost two weeks ago. I knew that I should've probably been more alarmed at this kind of thing becoming normal, but, I just went with it. He played peekaboo with the small girl and she giggled with delight- she couldn't have been more than two.

"Eleanor! Come here, check this out!" I heard Seth call my name from the living room and I hesitantly wandered into the busy room.

He sat on the couch beside Embry and Paul, the three all holding game controllers and their eyes focused intently on the television screen. I felt Jacob's presence follow me in. There was hardly ever a moment throughout the day when I didn't feel his radiating heat. I couldn't say I minded.

"Sam got us a new game system! How cool is that?" Seth looked up and smiled at me, his dimples deep and smile wide. He was so young compared to the others, I still wondered how their friendship had grown so much and so quickly.

Paul chuckled from beside him, a devious smirk growing on his thin lips, "Yeah now I have a whole new system to kick your ass on!" Embry cackled beside him and leaned forward against his knees.

Seth grumbled out something before laughing and joining the others once more.

As we all sat down for dinner I noticed both Sam and Jared were missing, Kim informed me that they were working but should be back soon- at which time Paul and Quil would apparently be leaving. No one had yet to tell me where exactly all of the guys worked together, but the reservation was still fairly foreign to me so my guess was as good as anyone's.

I had heard the rumors around school, that they were all a part of Sam's cult, that they were all doped up on steroids and they sold drugs. Now that I was "one of them" I realized just how absolutely absurd those rumors were. These boys were family.

I would probably never understand how all of Emily's meals were so fantastic. I mean, I loved food to begin with. When it was Emily's food though, it was a whole new story.

About halfway through dinner Sam and Jared waltzed in, chuckling with one another. Almost instantaneously Paul and Quil stood up and nodded to them, casually going out the front door. Sam was to Emily and Jared to Kim in only a moment, pressing chaste kisses to their cheeks. I felt Jacob's heat come closer to me, tenderly tucking a curl behind my ear. I shivered and he grinned to me, rubbing my shoulder briefly before returning to his food.

I helped Emily with the dishes after dinner as Jacob stood in the doorway and watched me, his eyes never leaving my face.

We all settled into Emily's cozy living room, Jacob tucking me under his arm as we sat on the couch. I allowed myself to ease against his side, taking in his scent of earth and pine.

I had never liked the smell of pine trees or the forest until I smelt it on him.

We talked amongst one another for an hour or so when all at once the guys turned their heads to face the front door. Jacob's spine grew rigid and he was on his feet in a moment, my personal heater vanishing.

I watched with wide eyes as he marched towards the front door, throwing it open and hurrying down the steps. Sam whispered something to Emily and she nodded, her lips forming a thin line.

I don't know what took over me, but I hopped up and scurried towards the door behind him and onto the porch.

"What are you doing here? I told you to stay away."

Jacob's back was to me, his fists clenched. Looking past him I saw a beat up red truck, the driver door ajar. In front of him stood a girl, slightly taller than me, with pale skin and chestnut hair. The rain poured down on both of them, her hair sticking to the sides of her face.

I had never seen her before. I stared at her, taking in every little feature. Something here was wrong. It was screaming that it was all wrong. Jacob's words rang in my ear, 'I told you to stay away'.

And then it hit me.

This was Bella.

"No, you told me to keep Edward away. You never said-"

She stopped what she was saying as her eyes met mine. Her mouth shut and her eyes fixated on me. I felt my heart rate pick up.

Jacob turned and saw me, his jaw set in place.

We stood in silence.

"Who is this?" She gestured towards me. We stared into each other's eyes.

"Bella, leave." Jacob dropped his stare to the ground.

"Jake, who is this?" She asked again, her eyes never leaving mine.

Jacob clenched his jaw and flexed his fingers, sighing and shutting his eyes briefly. Bella faced him, getting ready to ask again.

"I'm Eleanor," I don't know why I spoke, I really don't know why. But her brown eyes shot back to me and I felt my stomach in my throat.

"Is she your-"

"Bella, leave!"

"She is, isn't she? That's why you haven't been answering me."

"Leave."

She bore holes into my face for a moment more before turning and fleeing to her truck, slamming the door and tearing out of the muddy driveway.

Jacob turned to look at me, soaking wet through his clothes, the rain pouring down on his face. And he was still beautiful. And I was more confused than ever.

"El, I, uh. Eleanor, give me a minute, and I'll explain it about her. I promise. Just, just let me dry off and change, okay?"

I nodded.

He made his way up the front steps to where I stood, his hand hesitantly reaching towards me. I watched him carefully- I found a stray raindrop trailing down his temple and focused on it.

Despite that it was dripping wet, his hand was warm as it gently grasped my forearm.

He slowly leaned down, placing a swift kiss on my forehead.

His lips were hot and soft and the action made my stomach flip and flop and shivers were sent down my spine and it was over in just a second.


	16. The Panic Disorder

**Eleanor POV**

I sat at Emily's kitchen table awaiting Jacob to return from changing. A million thoughts raced through my mind, a headache forming in between my eyes.

Why was Bella calling him all the time? And when he told her to stay away, she showed up at Emily's?

I picked apart my brain, begging myself to remember something that Andrea had said about Bella. Something, anything, to give me even a little knowledge as to what the hell was going on. I came up with nothing. I couldn't remember for the life of me what Bella's equivalence was.

Jacob's feet forced the stairs to creak under his weight as he padded down the stairs, his face sullen. I swallowed, hard. He met my eyes and grinned at me, that made it a little better.

He sat beside me, pulling my chair and shifting his own so we faced each other, our knees just grazing one another.

"Bella and I were best friends when we were kids. Best. Because our dad's were best friends, so we just always had to be together. We used to make mudpies." He chuckled as he began, obviously reminiscing. I nodded.

"When Charlie and Renee split, Bella went with her mom. And then about a year ago, Bella moved back." He paused, thinking about something. He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and his eyes focused on something on the floor behind me.

"We started to get close again. Then, she, uh, she started dating this guy from Forks. A bad guy, he's just, he's an asshole. And then he just goes and dumps her, she was devastated. We became best friends again, and uh, well, I started to uh, I started to fall for her." He pursed his lips and found my eyes, staring into them and sighing, his eyes doing that thing again.

"Then her, her, her boyfriend- Edward- came back. And she dropped me. I had no chance, whatsoever. I knew that, and I moved on,"

"To Andy." I interrupted. I didn't mean to, it just fell out.

He pursed his lips and sighed, but nodded, "To Andy, yes. And it was great with Andrea, it really was."

I felt something in my chest pull.

"But it wasn't right."

The pull released.

It wasn't right?

"You're right, Eleanor. I didn't want to believe it, but you're right."

His words baffled me. They were so simple yet there was so much behind them. I knew there was. I could only stare at him, searching for something. I didn't even know what I was searching for, but I wasn't finding it. All I was finding was that same look he always gave me.

I didn't even know what to make of this. It still didn't make sense. If her boyfriend came back, why did she want Jacob's attention? And why did I even care? And I was right? How was I right when Andy wasn't? Andy was perfect, beautiful and smart and funny and talented and sweet and I was all wrong. I didn't blend and I wasn't really good at anything except being bad at things, I was pretty alright in English class maybe, but I don't really think that counts, and I wasn't mentally stable and I wasn't social I had a hard time even speaking with a lot of people around me. I was all wrong, it was Jacob who was all right.

"Why did she come today?"

It was only one of my millions of questions, but I figured it was the easiest.

"She, uh, she said she misses her best friend."

I just stared at him. I guess I didn't really have anything to say to that, it was a pretty plausible reason.

"I need to go home, it's getting late." I stood up, suddenly realizing that it was a quarter to nine. I grabbed my slicker and wandered into the living room to say goodbye to Emily and Kim.

They each hugged me tightly, Emily thanking me for joining them and insisting I return soon. I promised her I would.

As Jacob pulled the car into my driveway I couldn't ignore the burning sensation that still graced my forehead, from where Jacob's lips had once grazed. I looked over to him as the car shifted into park and found he was already staring at me, eyes focused on my features.

I was clueless as to why he was always watching me, why he always looked so fascinated with me. I wasn't anything to be so engrossed by.

"Thank you for bringing me tonight," I mumbled, grinning slightly. He beamed back at me, his eyes gleaming and teeth shining.

"I'll take you anywhere you want to go, Elli."

His eyes were full of emotion and I felt my heart in my throat, "That's what my sister calls me."

He chuckled and got out of the car, reaching my side and opening the door before I could even unbuckle myself.

"Tell me about your sister," his hand gently brushed the small of my back as we ascended the front steps.

"Sisters." It fell out of my mouth before I could stop it and I shut my eyes, "Well, sister. I'll tell you another time."

His eyebrows scrunched together as he looked at me with question, I sighed.

"Can I take you out to dinner? Tomorrow?"

 _Yes_.

No! No, I couldn't let him. What if we ran into Andrea? I wouldn't know what to do.

"Please, Eleanor."

And then I made the mistake of looking into those big brown eyes and seeing him pleading for my attention. How was I supposed to say no to that?

"Okay."

He smiled, big, and took my hand in his as we stood before the front door. Heat sparked up my entire arm and the feelings the engulfed my body were borderline overwhelming.

I'll admit, the entire following day at school I was practically bouncing with excitement to go out with Jacob. Seth and I were basically twins in the enthusiasm department.

The entire school was buzzing with word of prom coming up. In all honesty I had never put a thought into prom, that was Andrea's kind of thing, definitely not mine.

As the day came to a close, Jacob walked with me from English to my locker, his hands itching to touch me in some way as they were partially extended towards me at all times.

"I'll pick you up at six?" He leaned against my locker and I allowed a hand to gently brush up and down my upper arm.

I nodded and his smile grew as we began walking towards the student parking lot. The moment we walked out the double doors I felt Andrea's icy glare, it watched us the entire length of the sidewalk and to our cars- conveniently parked beside one another. Most of the time I felt self conscious under her cold stare, but when I was with Jacob I hardly felt anything honestly.

Pulling into the small diner in Forks that night was both terrifying and exuberayting. I knew that Jacob was aware of my fear of seeing Andrea out, hence his idea to come to Forks instead. He was wary as we had passed the "Welcome to Forks" sign but the diner wasn't too far in-town and he had seemingly relaxed at this.

The moment the waitress was out earshot Jacob turned his attention back to me, outstretching his arms across the table and trailing his fingertips along the tops of my hands. Even such small contact like this sent sparks up my arm and chills down my spine and a sense of comfort through my core.

"Now, Eleanor, I want to hear about your," he paused for a moment, "your sisters." He had been trying to decide which word to use.

I sighed. I hated talking about them. Julianna was fine, I didn't mind talking about her considering there wasn't much to tell. But Nia, she was a whole other story.

"What about them?" I tried to avoid the question, but he wasn't having any of it.

"Why do you only refer to one?" He was good.

I scrunched my eyes shut for a moment, preparing myself.

I could do this.

"Because one of them is dead."

His eyebrows scrunched and he pursed his lips, searching my face for more. I wasn't going to get out of this.

"Nia, she was older than me, she died."

"When?"

"The summer before my sixth grade year. She was fifteen, I was eleven."

"Tell me more."

I sighed again.

I could do this.

"It was the beginning of summer, most of her friends were just getting their licenses. Nia was popular, everyone loved her. She was beautiful. And she went to a summer opener party. Her best friend started drinking, they all did. And Shae drove home, Shae was her best friend. She shouldn't have. They should've called someone. But they didn't."

I was letting myself get too upset, I could feel it building inside my chest. I swallowed hard and shut my eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply before opening them back up. I was okay. Jacob's eyes never left my face.

"They went off the road and into a tree. My sister died on impact. That's what the police said."

His face was emotionless, I preferred that to anything else to be honest.

"Tell me about your other sister."

I was relieved when he dropped the Nia topic. I could talk about Julianna, easy.

"Julianna, she's thirteen now, her birthday is in a couple months. She lives with my mom, back home,"

"Where is back home?" He interrupted.

"Maine, Bar Harbor, Maine."

He nodded and waited for me to continue.

"She's really opinionated, really strong-willed, very," I searched for the words, "very self righteous."

He listened on, a small grin playing on his lips.

"But she's just a kid still. It's so refreshing. She's a lot like Seth, he's just sweeter." I giggled and Jacob took this as an opportunity to release a small chuckle.

"Your dad's a man of few words, isn't he?"

I sighed again.

"He didn't used to be. But, I guess he is now. It kinda all changed when Nia died, I mean, that's one of the reasons we even came here."

He nodded and his eyes scanned over me once, he grinned as he met my eyes again.

"Your mom, tell me about your mom."

Oh boy, my mom was a whole new story.

"Well, I mean, she was really strong when my sister died. She kinda taught Julianna the whole independent factor. Her and my dad are so different, I don't even know how two people like them even ended up together."

"Fate is pretty mysterious, huh?" He smirked, like there was some untold joke. I stared at him for a moment and he chuckled, slowly shaking his head and finding my hands to play with again.

For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel weird about talking about myself. Telling Jacob things about me that not even Andy knew was somehow easy.

Until he had to go and ruin it by getting all nosey.

"Eleanor, Andrea had once mentioned something. I, uh, I don't know how to ask it without sounding like an ass."

I raised an eyebrow.

"You take medication for something, don't you?"

And there it was.

I sighed and my eyes wandered around the diner as I searched for the right words to say. I had none.

"I do," it was hard looking at him again.

"For what?"

I shut my eyes and ran my hands down my face, slowly opening them to find his patiently handsome face staring at me.

"I have panic disorder. At first they just thought it was my handling Nia's death in a negative way, but, it got worse. It was triggered by her death, but there's really no way to fix it now."

He looked at me, lips pursed and eyebrows scrunched. I shut my eyes and laced my hand through my hair. I don't know why I told him. He'd realize how much of a freak I was and he'd be gone. I could feel it now.

When I opened them once more he was staring at me, his eyes full of that emotion. He reached across the table, carefully tugging my hand from my curls and taking it into his. My stomach filled with butterflies.

"We'll be okay."

And I believed him.

*linebreak*.

 _Hello! I know this chapter didn't really have a lot of "action" in it, but I felt like I needed to dive into Eleanor's world and give some more back story. I can not express how thankful I am for those who continue to read and give me feedback. Thank you once again!_


	17. The Doctor

I cannot express how sorry I am for having taken so long for this update, I apologize. I know exactly where the story is going but I needed to get this in, and the writers block was horrible. I am so so sorry but I promise the story will be continuing on and I will not be taking so long to update again. Thank you everyone for sticking with me!

 **Jacob POV**

Every moment spent with Eleanor was a blessing. After our date at the diner, she began speaking more often around me. Which wasn't a lot. But it was something that meant everything.

I must admit, I felt extremely guilty about the fact that I knew probably her biggest secret, and I still couldn't tell her mine. I knew she would freak out, I knew she would leave. And I couldn't take that chance. She wasn't ready. Hell, I was hardly ready.

My sweet little Eleanor, how could I possibly tell her that I was a monster? What if she had a breakdown? I couldn't think like that. Everything was okay with her, she was okay and we would be okay.

I knocked on the front door, the white paint peeling in the top right corner. Eleanor's dad would fix that soon enough, he hated things being out of shape. Just like Eleanor.

As her dainty footsteps grew in volume, her close proximity brought a wave of emotion over me.

And them I smelt it.

The leech.

The door opened and I was no more than an inch from her in a moment, examining every part of my imprint. The smell was overwhelming yet I saw no sign of them anywhere near.

Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion and those big green eyes took me in.

"Where were you today? Are you here alone?"

Her eyebrows shot up, "Yes I'm alone, what are you doing?"

I realized how paranoid I was being. But one of them was near her, I could smell it.

"I just, uhm, wanted to make sure you were okay, and all."

She squinted an eye at me and smirked, "You saw me Friday, Jacob. I'm fine."

I chuckled and scratched the back of my neck, "Yeah, uh, I know."

I followed her down the hallway and into the spacious living room, the sickly sweet smell assaulting my nostrils. Every fiber of my being was screaming at me, something was wrong. There had been one of them near her. I breathed in deeper and tried to recognize it. It was familiar.

"So, uh, what have you been up to today?"

She looked at me with her eyebrows scrunched as she sat on the couch, her legs curling up to shield herself as normal. I knew I was pushing her boundaries, asking her questions like that always threw her off. But she seemed like she was in a good mood today, which was always good.

Some days were better than others. But today she was calm, a slight bit of humor lacing every word.

She sighed for a minute and her eyes roamed the room. She was frustrated with me. But I needed to know.

"I went to the doctors today."

Then I knew.

The Cullens.

My nose crinkled in disgust. She didn't miss it.

"Why the face?"

"Who's your doctor?"

"What does it matter?"

I went quiet. I had gone too far in her eyes. But I knew my answer.

Rage flooded my veins, enveloping my whole body. I pictured one of them near her, the thought that they could harm her. I felt my body trembling, I couldn't lose control near her. I couldn't be the monster that they were.

Her big green eyes found mine and I felt the wolf drift away.

"I didn't mean to snap at you." She bashfully turned away and I felt her sorrow. It wasn't her fault, she had no idea.

"Why did you go to the doctor today?"

"I had an appointment."

I stared at her. That little smartass.

She smirked and my heart melted in adoration. She was so perfect. So meek and mild, yet so quick, so sweet, yet so sassy on the rarest of occasions.

"Why did you have an appointment?"

She sighed and ran a hand through her curls. It was a habit.

"I got my new medication."

I would never understand why she was so weary to talk about her medication and anxiety with me, she had to know I wouldn't leave.

"Is Cullen your doctor?" I couldn't help the venom that came with my words, she noticed though, of course.

"Dr. Cullen. Yes. Why?"

Now I was caught.

I shrugged, "He's, uh, he was my mom's doctor."

That was a lie. I hated lying to her. But for now, I needed to.

I didn't stay much longer after that. I had patrol in the evening and I was out for blood. I still couldn't stand the fact that one of those leeches was allowed to be so close to my imprint. My fragile little imprint.

I had my phone pressed to my cheek almost the moment I was in my car. The voice picked up and I cringed, but I had to do this.

"Jake? Wow you have time for me now?"

"Cut the shit, Bella. You tell your bloodsuckers to stays away from Eleanor."

She paused for a moment. I clenched my jaw.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She lied straight through her teeth.

"We all know your leech already knew about the doctor. Keep away."

"It's not by choice Jake, if she wasn't a little psycho then she wouldn't even be his patient."

I slammed on the breaks.

That bitch.

The wolf ripped through my body and I barely made it out of the car before he took over, tearing at the edges of my humanity and engulfing me.

The pack's voices were in my head immediately, what had just happened playing through our heads.

 _"That bitch!"_

 _"Leech lover!"_

 _"How dare she!"_

They were just as furious as I was. I grumbled in gratitude.

By the time my patrol was over it was late in the night, almost 2am. I knew I'd be dead at school the next day, but I had to see Eleanor just once before I could sleep.

I fought to block out the pack's thoughts as I crept up to the backside of her house.

A small lamp in Eleanor's room glowed, my curiosity spiked. Her little voice chimed out in a giggle and my heart swelled, yet my curiosity grew.

Who could she possibly be talking to?

I crept closer and strained to listen.

"Well, I mean, he's sweet."

She was on the phone with someone.

"Jacob, Jacob Black."

And she was talking about me.

"No, Julianna, you don't get it. He was my best friend's boyfriend. And then dumped her, out of the blue. And now suddenly, he's here all the time, and he's inviting me over to his friend's big dinners, and he's always so close to touching me and he hugs me whenever he can, I just don't get it."

Julianna. Her little sister. She hadn't mentioned that they were speaking.

At this point in time I was leaning against the side of their house, in complete stupidity and nosiness. But I couldn't stop myself, I had to hear. And when I was this close and still in wolf form, I could just barely make out Julianna's young voice on the other end of the phone.

 _"Wait are you and Andy still friends?"_

Eleanor sighed and I winced as she answered.

"No. She hates me."

Julianna paused a moment.

" _Well, I mean, it's your call Elli. Is this worth it?"_

I had to admit: for only being thirteen, Julianna was smart. Eleanor had mentioned it though.

"I think it is."

Her voice snapped me back to reality and the emotion rushing over me was like an ocean wave.

"I wish you could understand it, Jules. It's just, there's something different. I mean, I know every teenager says it, but I mean it. It's weird. Not like teenager weird, like something is off weird. It's like there's this pull, all the time. To always be closer and always know more and when he's gone my chest hurts and when I see him this weird thing happens and Julianna I just don't get it."

I was on cloud nine. I was spinning, I was melting, I was feeling everything all at once. She felt it too. She said I was worth it.

I sprinted home, the wolf inside of me was leaping with glee and when I laid in bed I still couldn't shake the feeling.

This was amazing.


	18. It's Victoria

**Eleanor POV**

"Good morning beautiful,"

The blood rushed to my cheeks and I suppressed a smile as I stared up at Jacob's approaching figure, his smile wide and eyes bright.

He was the beautiful one. It still bewildered me every day that he was so interested in me. I couldn't understand it. Boys like him didn't like girls like me. They liked girls like Andrea.

Confident.

Gorgeous.

Popular.

Sane.

I shook off the thought. I couldn't overthink this. I had to revel in the moment.

And in this moment, Jacob had a tender hand coasting up and down my arm, his eyes boring into mine. The butterflies in my stomach were bouncing against the lining and I felt like a giddy school girl.

"I want you to come meet my dad and sister tonight."

His words snapped me from my thoughts and my throat was dry in an instant.

He wanted me to meet his dad and sister?

No no. I couldn't do that.

I already knew his dad, I mean, Andrea had dragged me there a million times.

I was panicking already. The edges of my vision began to cloud and I shut my eyes, taking in a deep breath.

Jacob's hand gripped above my elbow and I felt his breath close to my face, "Eleanor, it's okay."

I nodded and reopened my eyes, his brown orbs finding mine in an instant. We had been getting closer for a steady two weeks now, and I was still in complete shock, waiting for something bad to happen.

That night I stood before my body mirror and released a burst of air. I picked at the burgundy sweater, adjusted the silver necklace around my neck, straightened out the dark jeans I wore and pulled on my gray boots. Despite the fact that it was already the end of April, I was still always cold. Unless I was with Jacob, considering his body heat was always radiating towards me and warming me up.

I could do this.

My dad called to me from downstairs, I knew Jacob was here.

He held a guide hand at the small of my back as we approached his little red house. The last time I had been here was when Andrea and him had broken up. Shivers ran down my spine just thinking off that day- the first time I had seen Jacob since his transformation, back when he began hating me. But as his warm hand gently wandered up and back down my back with such care and his eyes grazed over me with that look of pure emotion, I could hardly picture a time when he wasn't like this.

The door opened and before me was Billy in his chair, his long hair pulled back and a kind smile pasted across his tanned face. I grinned down at him and his smile widened.

"Very nice to see you, Miss Eleanor." His eyes twinkled, much like Jacob's did sometimes.

"It's nice to see you too, Billy."

"Don't be a stranger, come on in. Rachel is dying to meet you."

My stomach tightened. I knew Billy liked me from before. But I had never met Rachel and there was a chance that she would absolutely hate me, and I couldn't handle that. Though Jacob guided me into the small house and I was brought towards who I presumed was Rachel Black.

She was beautiful, with flawless and light russet skin, kind eyes like Billy's, and smooth black waves of hair cascading down.

We watched each other for a moment and her eyes roamed over me, taking in every one of my features. And then she smiled. A big smile. She looked to Billy and raised an eyebrow, he nodded and grinned. Her eyes then went to Jacob and she nodded to him and winked, as if in approval of something. And then she hugged me.

I was totally taken back.

She was hugging me?

But I had learned from Emily and Kim, and I brought my hands up to return the gesture.

Things went, really good, to say the least. Being around Jacob's family seemed normal, just like being with the guys and Emily and Kim. It was bizarre considering I had never felt comfortable with anyone.

"Oh, dad! Remember when Jake took mine and Becca's makeup and painted his whole face?" Rachel giggled. Billy released a big belly laugh and Jacob's cheeks flamed pink. I laughed along with them, and for that moment everything was great.

And then someone started banging on the door.

Jacob's back went rigid and Billy's face grew grim. Rachel and I looked to each other across the table, eyebrows scrunched together. Jacob was on his feet in an instant, to the door in a flash. Billy slowly wheeled behind him and I looked to Rachel, her face just as confused as mine though.

I looked past him as Jacob opened the door, Bella Swan coming into view. Jacob locked his jaw, he was angry.

"Jake, we need you and the guys, it's-"

"Bella."

Jacob cut her off and looked back to me, Billy pulling his bottom lip under his teeth.

She looked past him, her eyes landing on me. We stared at one another.

"Jacob, it's Victoria."

Victoria?

"Dammit, Bella!"

He looked to me, his eyes squinted with aggregation and he ran a hand through his cropped hair. I bit my lip.

I had absolutely no idea what was going on, at least Rachel looked like she felt the same way. They spoke in the doorway, hushed whispers with anger in every word.

"Rachel," Jacob turned, his eyes boring into mine as he began speaking to his sister, "will you bring Eleanor home?"

I felt my chest pull, something was wrong.

"Uhm, yeah, sure." She nodded and stood up, brushing off her lap and heading to grab her jacket from the back of the couch.

Jacob hurried over to me, one handing caressing my upper arm and the other hesitating at my side. His eyes found mine and he sighed, his eyes pained.

"It's all okay, okay?" His face came closer to mine and I felt my breathing quicken. But I nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, Eleanor." I nodded again.

His face came closer and I shut my eyes, feeling his lips graze against my forehead. They were tender, and careful, and held more unspoken words than I could even figure out. My heart was pounding against my chest.

He pulled away and looked me in the eyes one more time before he turned and groaned, hurrying to his room.

Rachel drove me home, making small talk. Though I couldn't shake the rotten feeling in my chest.

Jacob wasn't in school the next day.


	19. Just Promise You'll Stay

Hello, everyone! I, as always, want to send out my immense gratitude for all of those who continue to read, review, favorite, and follow my story. I cannot explain how grateful I am for all of you! It may not have been so obvious in the last chapter, but I am trying to start to follow along the storyline with the actual books. The mention of Victoria in the last chapter is jumping into the end of Eclipse, involving the newborn fight- as this new chapter will show. Thank you again, everyone!

 **Eleanor POV**

I was more than alarmed that day when I got to lunch to find that absolutely none of the guys were in school. Kim had looked to me with worried eyes and when I asked where they where, she averted her eyes and sighed, saying she didn't know.

I knew she was lying.

The sick feeling in my chest remained throughout the day, and when Jacob never came to my house in the afternoon, I could hardly breathe.

Something was wrong, and I missed Jacob.

A part of me ached and argued that Andrea was right, that he had realized that I wasn't worth his time. He couldn't think that. He just couldn't.

I sat on my bed that night, a million thoughts racing through my head.

No txts, no calls, no visits, no Jacob. And no explanation.

The following day was Saturday, and by the time I woke up, I had totally convinced myself that Jacob was done with me. The dull ache in my chest burned and I couldn't find the words to say.

My dad wasn't home, to no surprise, and I padded around the house in my sleep pants longer than I typically did.

What was I to do?

I made myself toast with strawberry jelly and sat at the table as I ate, staring straight ahead and allowing my thoughts to wander.

I thought of everything that had gone on, the transformation that Jacob had undergone and the transformation that him and I as a whole had gone through. I couldn't deny that I liked him. He had become a comforting presence in my life, and I wasn't ready to lose that. I didn't feel anxious around him anymore- being with him was like I was normal again. It was something totally bizarre and unexplainable but I wasn't complaining. I was grateful for his existence in my life. He was kind and understanding and playful and sweet. He somehow knew the right words to say and the right things to do.

I was lost in my thoughts and hardly heard the pounding on the front door. I jumped when it finally caught my attention and I hurried towards it.

Paul stood on my front steps. His eyebrows furrowed and his breathing labored, his eyes intense. For a moment we only stared at one another.

"Eleanor, you need to come with me."

"What?"

"Get dressed."

"What?"

Why would he need me to go with him? I was baffled.

"You need to come to Emily's. Go get ready and pack a bag for the night. Hurry up!"

And though I had absolutely no idea what force pulled me to do so, I obeyed. I hurried through my room, throwing clothes into a bag and yanking clothes on my body. My mane of curls lay sprawled in their typical mass and I threw on a touch of makeup. I'd worry about my dad later.

I had hardly closed the truck door when Paul tore out of my driveway, speeding down the road to Emily and Sam's house.

Everything fell into a blur as we arrived, Jacob rushing to my side the moment the truck was in park.

"El, Elli, I'm so happy you're safe."

One hand found my forearm and the other grazed over my hair, the chills running down my spine and the butterflies erupting.

"Why wouldn't I be safe?"

His eyes found mine again and he sighed, squeezing them shut for a moment.

"I'm going to explain it all, I swear. Okay? Just not right now. Right now, I need you to stay here with Emily and Kim and Claire. Stay here for the night, and I'll be back tomorrow. And I'll explain, okay?"

I stared up at him, at this kind and beautiful man. His eyes filled with something I hadn't seen before, something that made my stomach drop. But I nodded and he released a breath of air.

I looked to my left, towards the house, seeing Kim in Jared's arms and Emily in Sam's, and even little Claire squeezing Quil's cheeks tightly. The rest of the guys and Leah stood aside, their faces stoic and downright unnerving.

Something was wrong, and I was totally left out of the loop. My stomach was in my throat and the sick feeling was overwhelming.

"Jacob, what's going on?"

One hand gripped my arm just a little tighter and the other found my cheek.

"Eleanor, I'm going to explain it all soon. Okay? Just promise you'll stay."

And for some reason, I knew that he meant more than just staying at Emily's.

My thoughts were racing and my heart pounding and I knew that I was edging towards not being okay. But with Jacob's eyes locked into mine and his heat radiating towards me, I held on.

"I'll stay."

And then he smiled. A pained smile that made my heart sink.

"I'll be back, I promise."

He pulled me close and his arms closed in around me, holding me close to his chest in a tight embrace. I wrapped my arms around his back, allowing myself to mold against his warm body.

His lips found the top of my head and lingered atop the curls.

As I pulled away the cold air ripped at me, and I knew something bad was going to happen.

He placed a lone kiss on my temple and rubbed my forearm once more before him and the rest of the guys headed off towards the forest.

I hadn't been so confused in my whole life as I was as I stood there in Emily's driveway.

She gave me a moment before I felt her gentle touch guiding me towards the house.

"You want some tea, Eleanor?" Emily smiled at me, her eyebrows slightly bunched together, though she tried to hide this.

Kim's eyes were wide and she watched carefully as she carried little Claire.

"Where are the guys and Leah going?"

Emily sighed at my question, and Kim wandered into the living room with Claire. I stared at Emily waiting, she stared back.

"They just have to take care of something. They'll be back."

"What do they have to take care of?"

Her eyes wandered the room and she turned away, grabbing a cup from the cupboard and tea from the jar.

"Jake said he'd tell you about it later, sweetie, just," she paused for a moment and signed again, "just wait for that."

How could I possibly wait? What could he have to tell me that would explain his weird behavior? Emily and Kim knew, why couldn't I know right now?

The hours passed by painfully slow. It wasn't painful being with Emily and Kim, I loved my time with them. But I missed Jacob, and the sickening feeling inside of my stomach was growing.

Every now and then a string inside of my chest would pull and I would feel as if I could throw up.

I sat on the couch, staring out the window at the wood line. I swore I saw something moving out there, but I knew it was my mind playing games with me. I was just too shaken up. Every now and then Kim and I would speak, she'd make a tiny joke in an attempt to get me to laugh, but I just couldn't do it. I felt bad, I really did- but I couldn't push away how I felt and it was truly impossibly to even speak without tasting the bile in the back of my throat.

It started getting dark outside when I called my dad, I told him I'd be staying at Kim's house, it would just be easier than explaining in full extent who Emily was.

And then I felt it.

A pain I had never felt before, ripping through my side and into my chest, consuming my entire body.

The air burst from my lungs and I felt myself crumple into a ball.

"Emily!" Kim yelled. I briefly saw Emily's face, first in horror, and then in realization of something, and then absolute despair. She knew something.

I gained back my breathing and my arms wrapped around myself.

I shut my eyes.

My heart was pounding, the sickness in my throat, my stomach twisting. I could honestly say I had never felt something like this.

Kim raised an eyebrow to Emily and she nodded, their faces growing grave.

They both knew.

Minutes felt like hours and the pain tore through me. Emily only wrapped a blanket around me and held onto my shoulder.

Kim heard it before we did, she was to the door in an instant.

"Jared, what-"

"Eleanor needs to come now."

"Is Jake?"

"Just get Eleanor."


	20. Bella Swan Standing on My Doorstep

**Eleanor POV**

I had never felt something like this: something so agonizing and unexplained. There was no reason to feel this way and no one would tell me why and my heart was pounding so hard I thought my ribs might shatter- though that feeling was already here.

It had grown dark out and the sky threatened to open up at any moment.

We arrived at Jacob's house. All of the guys stood outside, among a select few of people I couldn't identify.

My mind was racing.

One of them turned around. It was Bella. A chill ran down my spine and a scream pierced the ear so agonized that everyone cringed. A new pain ripped through my chest and I felt myself crumple down, my hands rushing to my hair and taking chunks of curls into my fists.

It was Jacob's scream.

"Shit."

I heard Sam's voice and felt someone's large arms around me, lifting me up to my feet. Paul stood beside me, his sharp face scrunched together in frustration.

"C'mon." He took my elbow and began forward though Sam laid a hand against his chest and stopped him. "Wait until it's over." Paul nodded.

I searched the group of faces, finding Bella's eyes had never left me. Though she wasn't angry. She was curious. Her wide brown eyes stared at me in curiosity, wanting to see and know more. We looked to each other for a moment before another scream ripped through the air and another jolt of pain knocked the air out of me.

"It's done."

The front door opened and a man I knew all too well emerged. It was Dr. Cullen. With a sullen look on his beautiful face as his eyes scanned over everyone. Billy rolled out behind him.

A sick feeling bubbled up in my stomach.

"Eleanor, come here please." Billy spoke and all eyes fell to me. I felt my breathing hitch, I couldn't handle everyone's stares when I didn't even know what was going on. But I obeyed and slowly wandered up onto the steps and followed Billy inside.

It was hot and dark in their house and I got uneasy. Something was wrong.

"You should go into his room and see him." Billy pursed his lips and rolled back to the front door, disappearing.

My heart was racing faster than before and my insides were doing loops. I still had no idea what was going on. But I slowly pushed open Jacob's bedroom door and sucked in a sharp breath of air.

Jacob lay on his bed shirtless, half of his body wrapped in gauze and medical tape. The sweat poured off of his body and his breaths were labored and pained. His eyes were shut gently and even in this state he was still the most beautiful creature I had ever seen.

"Eleanor," he breathed out, I felt my heart melt and I took a step closer.

His eyes opened and his hand hesitantly reached out and grasped mine. It was burning hot, much hotter than usual.

"Jacob, what-"

"Come here." He gently tugged and I carefully sat on the bed beside him.

"What is going on? What happened? What is, all of this?" My words all fell out quickly and he chuckled, wincing in pain. My stomach was in my throat. Seeing him like this brought a feeling of sickness that I had never experienced. Something inside of me was going insane.

He sighed and winced again. I cautiously laid a hand atop his shoulder and felt his body relax under my touch. It was bizarre to think about the fact that I could have such an effect on him.

"Things aren't as they seem, Eleanor." He began. I searched his face and found nothing, only the seriousness of his stare.

"Do you remember when you came to the bonfire with all of us? And you listened to the legends, about the shapeshifters and the cold ones?"

What was he getting at? He had a fever, that must be it.

So I nodded and raised an eyebrow.

"Would you believe me if I said it was all real?"

The room fell silent and my stomach dropped.

What? No. Absolutely not.

I racked my mind and replayed the legends. Men turning into wolves to protect the reservation from the "cold ones"? Cold ones roaming the earth and sucking blood? Like vampires, that was totally absurd. Was he trying to imply that he was one?

Absolutely not! He had a fever and was talking crazy and I still wasn't finding out what was going on.

My breathing grew fast and I gulped, my throat was dry. I wasn't okay.

I looked to Jacob and he stared back at me, his eyes weary and scared. Why was he scared? He was insane.

"Jacob..." I began to stand up. His eyes grew wide and his hand shot out to grab mine.

"No, please, Eleanor. Don't go."

He pleaded.

Every fiber of my being was screaming to run, screaming to hide from all of these crazy people. But I couldn't. Something inside of me held me there, in this tiny little room with this half naked and gorgeous creature, bandaged up and burning up for some unknown reason.

"What happened to your side?" I stared down at him, I needed an answer.

He chuckled again, grabbing at his side in pain as he did so.

"A newborn vampire snapped my ribs."

I stared at him. He smirked.

I was furious. Fever or no fever that was ridiculous to even say considering obviously it was serious enough to put him in so much pain.

I was out of his room and out of the house in an instant. I refused to sit there and be joked around with when I needed the truth. Jacob goes off without any explanation, comes back with broken ribs, and then tries bringing up some Quileute folklore as an explanation? Did he really think that I was so stupid as to actually believe that kind of thing was real? I'd be more willing to hear that Nia was actually alive than I would be to hear that some Indian legend was true.

Everyone's eyes snapped to me in curiosity but I didn't stop to talk to anyone as I stormed down the driveway. The sky grew darker and big raindrops poured down on me as I walked home. Voices called out after me but I never turned around. An ache in my chest formed.

I was furious. I actually cared about him and he would give me some bullshit excuse. I deserved the truth.

My dad was asleep when I got home, I simply slipped into my room and crawled into bed. I didn't have words for the way I felt. Why wasn't I more upset?

He lied to me, obviously, right? Those legends weren't true, right? But something about the way Jacob had looked at me and the wonder in the eyes of everyone at the bonfire that night made me begin to question these things. Which was insane. Right?

When I woke up the next day, my dad was already gone. He had been gone a lot more lately, but I honestly couldn't say I minded.

I got ready for the day, though I don't know for what reason.

And then someone knocked on the front door. I groaned loudly and ran a hand down my face, I couldn't handle this right now. The last time I answered that godforsaken door, Paul whisked me away to the insanity of last night.

I couldn't have been more shocked to find Bella Swan standing on my doorstep.

She fiddled with her fingers and had a hard time making eye contact with me.

"Uhm, hi."

I stared at her. She stood a good amount taller than me.

Things just kept getting weirder.

"Hi." She breathed out a sigh of relief when I spoke.

"I think we need to talk." I raised an eyebrow but moved aside. She awkwardly wandered into my house and I led her to the living room.

We sat down.


	21. The Wolf is Out of The Bag

Hello everyone! Thank you as always for the support, the favorites, the follows, and the reviews. I had so much fun writing this chapter and cannot wait to continue to share Eleanor's story with you all!

 **Eleanor POV**

We stared at each for what felt like hours, yet only two minutes had passed by. I felt her analytical eyes roaming over me, taking in every detail. My self consciousness rose as I stared back at her.

There was no denying the peculiar beauty that Bella Swan held. Her thick chestnut locks and rich chocolate eyes, both much like Andrea's. That explained some of Jacob's previous infatuation with her. But then came the difference in the skin. Bella was among the few people that I had met while living on the reservation who's porcelain skin matched mine. It was something I really did like about myself, Andrea had always called me her little porcelain doll.

That was before she hated me though. Rightfully so, but nonetheless.

"So, Jake, uh. Jake told you the legends were true."

She finally broke the silence, pulling me from my trance. I nodded and internally sighed. Not this again.

"I don't want you to think he's crazy." She spoke again, her eyes boring holes into mine.

I only stared back at her. She sighed and her eyes skirted across the room. She wasn't good at this kind of thing either.

I knew it had take a lot for her to come here. Something inside of me stirred.

"It's all true, Eleanor. About the 'cold ones'- they're vampires. And the 'shape shifters'- they're, uhm, they're wolves. Eleanor."

I felt everything inside of me freeze in realization. This wasn't real. There was no possible way that any of this was true, it couldn't be! These people were all crazy, every single one of them, that's why they were all so close. They were just waiting until they thought I would follow along with it to tell me.

But something told me that wasn't true.

This was all true.

My heart was pounding and I felt my breathing quicken. The edges of my vision blurred and I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't lose it right now, not here, not with her.

I felt as if hours had passed sitting there regaining myself. When I opened my eyes I met her own. I expected judgement or disgust, though I was only met with a look of pure curiosity and intrigue.

We stared at each other some more.

"I think you should see Jacob. Let him explain. It's his story to tell." She had a hard time making eye contact.

"Then why did you tell it?"

She sighed and a small smirk made its way across her thin lips, her eyes fell to the floor.

"I guess I have a little role in the story. But like I said, you should really hear it from Jacob."

I watched her for more, though it never came. She left shortly after that. I was relieved when I shut the door behind her.

Then came the hard part. I didn't want to see Jacob. But something inside of me burned to be around him again. Did I really believe that this was all true? It was something completely bizarre and irrational, I suppose my last few months had mimicked such a nature. I didn't even know what I was feeling. How could I believe this? I did though. Some sick and twisted part believed it, and was not freaked out at all. And I think that's what really freaked me out, was the fact that I wasn't freaked out. If that even made sense. But it didn't. None of this made sense. Vampires? That was something out of a horror film, not a small town in the most boring place on earth. And wolves? Shapeshifting wolves? That was even more outlandish.

 _"Can I see you?"_

I sent the txt before I came to my senses.

The answer came back almost within seconds.

 _"Absolutely."_

The familiar knock on my door brought both a sense of relief and horror all at once. Though as I opened the door to find Jacob's beautiful face in deep concentration, every negative feeling washed away and a wave of astonishment and adoration hit me like a bus. He was so beautiful, and now so mysterious, and so set on being around me for some unknown reason. I had no words.

Sitting down with him in my living room felt different this time. No words were spoken as we sat down side by side. We faced one another and I took note of how much I had missed his presence. Bags lay under his eyes and it was then that I questioned his physical state from the previous day.

"Wait, Jacob, your ribs. Yesterday they were-"

"Broken, yeah." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

My eyebrows shut upwards and he chuckled again.

"I'm going to explain it, if you'll let me." His eyes found mine and I felt like a puddle in his hands. I nodded.

Here we go.

"Do you remember the legends, from the bonfire?"

I racked my brain and replayed them in my head. The shapeshifters- protectors- the cold ones, the third wife, all of it. And then I nodded again. He sighed in relief.

"Those are all true. It hasn't always been the way that it is, but something changed." He began. I watched him as he spoke, my mind trying its best to comprehend and accept it all.

"There's a gene, a shape shifting gene that's been carried on since the times of those legends. It takes the presence of a 'cold one' - if you will- to awaken it. The guys and I, we had all had the gene passed on to us from our fathers. It was only fairly recently, not even a year, that it got awakened."

"So there were 'cold ones' around?" I interrupted him.

That's what he was trying to get at, right? And him and the guys? All of them, were, shapeshifters? They all turned into wolves?

I tried to process it, something inside made me.

He nodded.

"The Cullen's. They came back, after so many years, and they awakened it in us. One at a time."

The Cullen's. Dr. Cullen. My doctor? No! There was absolutely no possibility that my doctor was a- vampire? And Bella, Bella was with a Cullen. Edward Cullen was her boyfriend. Was he a vampire too?

"But," I began, Jacob's eyes finding mine with a sort of sadness. "But my doctor, he's, he's Dr. Cullen. He can't be a-"

"He is, Eleanor."

"And Edward?"

Jacob grimaced.

"And Edward."

I watched Jacob as he began to speak. Was this all true? I knew it had to be.

"Sam was the first to phase. And then Paul, Jared, Embry, and then me. I was furious. I didn't want this. I didn't used to. Then Quil changed, and Seth and Leah too."

"Girls can do it?"

He chuckled, "It's never been done before, but, Leah's the exception I guess."

"You didn't used to want 'this' but you do now?"

He looked at me and smiled. Smiled like he knew something I didn't. That smile was only for me. That one could make my stomach do swirls and my head flutter.

"I wouldn't trade it for the world now."

I blushed. I didn't know why.

"Now that the Cullen's are here, more leeches have showed up. It's our job to protect the good people of the Rez from them." He spoke with pride in his voice, a light shining in his eyes that made me smile.

"So..." I wasn't sure how to ask the question, the undeniable question that was itching in my childish curiosity. He raised an eyebrow. "So what?"

"You turn into a wolf?"

He released a big belly laugh that could've rattled my small house.

"I turn into a very big wolf, Eleanor."

I giggled. A nervous giggle. This was insane.

"Can I see?"

He stared at me with wide eyes and an uncertainty fell across his face.

"Are you sure? I just, I don't want to overwhelm you."

He didn't want to upset me. But I needed to see. I needed to see that this was real, that I wasn't surrounded by crazy people and that I wasn't turning into one.

"I'm sure."

He sighed and ran a hand through his cropped hair.

"Well, let's go!"

I followed him out the back door, into the small yard between my house and the wood line. I felt jittery, but I was okay. I was anxious and excited somehow, I wanted to see this.

"I need you to come into the woods, just a step or so, in case someone shows up."

Jacob was nervous too. I didn't know why, if it was just who he was. But I obeyed and followed him into the woods, a place to foreign to me despite it being my own back yard.

"Alright." He chuckled, moving towards me, "I need you to lean against here, close your eyes, count to ten, and then open them."

I raised an eyebrow, "Why do I need to close them?"

He smirked and my stomach flopped, "Because I need to take my clothes off."

My cheeks heated up and I looked to the ground, his hand finding my chin and lifting it so I faced him once more. His touch sent chills down my back.

"No close your eyes, and count to ten." His breath hit my face and I fought the urge to blush once more. He had such an effect on me, though I could find no reason, nor any fault.

I did as he asked, leaning my back against the tree behind me and squeezing my eyes shut.

1

I heard him chuckle.

2

Silence. What if he left me here?

3

I heard his pants unzipper, he was still here.

4

The pants hit the ground.

5

Something else hit the ground, I'm assuming his shirt.

6

Silence.

7

He took a deep breath.

8

A sound I've never heard in my entire life ripped through the woods. My heart rate picked up and my stomach was in my throat.

9

A thud hit the forest floor, not three feet in front of me.

10

I opened my eyes and the air left my chest.

Before me stood the largest and most beautiful creature I had ever seen. He towered over me, the russet wolf staring down at me with kind brown eyes. Jacob's eyes. This was Jacob.

My breathing caught in my throat and I gawked upwards at him.

This was Jacob. Jacob Black. Beautiful, kind, Jacob Black was a wolf. A shapeshifter. The legends were true, it was all true.

And somehow, I was still okay.

"Jacob?" I found my voice and his mouth flopped open in a grin, his eyes twinkling. This was him.

He changed back shortly after that. I had a hard time believing it was true, but how could I argue with the fact that I had seen him?

As we sat in my living room once more, I couldn't help the content feeling that overwhelmed me. This was all okay.

"So, you really want this now?" I asked. His arm was lazily cast around my shoulders as we sat side by side on the couch, his fingers tenderly drawing circles on my arm.

He faced me and his eyes bore into mine.

He wanted to be a wolf? To work shifts for Sam and hunt down vampires? How could anyone want that?

"I want this more than I've ever wasted anything, Eleanor."

He smiled at me. He smiled like he knew something I didn't. Like he meant it on a whole different level.


	22. Questions Upon Questions

**Eleanor POV**

Going back to school Monday morning almost came as a relief, considering the weekend that I had had. Jacob Black was a werewolf. All of the guys were. They were a pack. They always ran fevers, they healed incredibly fast, and they hunted down vampires. Bella Swan's boyfriend was a vampire. Bella Swan had been hunted down by newborn vampires, and Jacob and the werewolves protected her. This was something out of a horror film.

But as I approached my locker that Monday morning to find none other than Jacob Black leaning against it, something told me this was far from a horror film or a nightmare.

He was beautiful. Every last part of Jacob Black was flawless. He was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen.

I stressed the word creature.

"Good morning, Eleanor." His smile took my breath away and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks immediately.

"Morning," I mumbled out, dropping my eyes to the floor and fighting the heat of my cheeks. It was shameful that he was still able to do that to me.

I felt his heat radiate towards me, a comforting feeling.

I stacked my books into my locker and shut the door, turning to look up at Jacob. His eyes were filled with emotion and he smiled at me, I returned the gesture.

"Are you still, okay, with all of this?" He asked, I knew exactly what he was referring to, and I nodded. I was surprisingly okay with this.

"I have a couple more questions though." He pursed his lips at my response and nodded, shrugging shortly after.

"I can answer whatever you'd like to know. I'll have a shift until 7 tonight, do you want to come over and I'll answer your questions."

Something inside me stirred and I nodded.

Going to lunch that day felt different. I knew they were all werewolves now, and that can definitely change the environment of things. I suddenly took notice to the fact that they all ate enough to feed an army. I also took notice to the fact that Jared looked at Kim in the same way that Jacob looked at me. Which made no sense.

I had to ask him about that.

Each moment I saw Jacob that day I found myself staring at him. He was beautiful. He was a werewolf. It all seemed like a dream, but I knew it wasn't. This was real life.

 _Call your sister._

My dad's handwriting caught my attention, bringing it to the small sticky note on the typically bare fridge. I pulled it from the stainless steel appliance and discarded it in the trash, wearily bringing out my phone and dialing my sister's number.

"Eleanor! Finally! Where were you?" Julianna's voice chimed in my ear and I sighed, "I was at school, Jules. Are you okay?"

"I mean, I'm fine. But I'm not going to be!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Mom is getting married."

"Wait.. Mom has a boyfriend?"

My mom had a boyfriend? No one ever told me that. I mean, I hadn't spoken to her since I moved out here, but I still felt like my mother having a serious boyfriend should've been something I knew.

"Well he's a fiancé now. And they're getting married, and we're moving in with him."

"Where does he live?"

"Just across town, but I hate him. He's so preppy and in your face."

"Am I going to meet him?"

"You're coming to the wedding obviously, so yeah."

I'd be going to the wedding? I'd be seeing my mom. And Julianna. I'd be going home for some time.

I was tickled pink. And anxious. And terrified.

Jacob picked me up when he was done with his shift and I felt a weight lift from my shoulders the moment I heard his car pull up in the driveway.

He met me at the door and smirked down at me, "Excited to see me?"

I mock glared and he chuckled, placing a gentle kiss on my cheek. My heart pounded and my stomach did flops.

He brought us to the small diner in Forks, pulling out the chair for me. As our food arrived her placed both hands on the table and faced me.

"Alright, I'm ready for the questions."

I grinned.

"Will you ever stop," I looked for the words, "shifting?"

"It's totally up to me, actually. But for as long as I shift, I'm going to stay about the same age."

I raised an eyebrow and he continued.

"Which means, when I finally settle down, I'll stop phasing and then I can grow old with whoever I'm with." Something played in his eyes and I couldn't identify it.

Something inside of me crumpled at the thought that he would ever be with someone other than me. But that was selfish. I didn't even know what him and I were, how could I try and take claim of him?

But he was mine. I knew it, he had to be.

I had no clue where that thought came from. But somehow I was comforted by it.

"Will there be more of you?"

I took a bite of my pasta and looked around the diner.

He chewed and swallowed his food before answering me with a shrug, "Most likely. As we get older and want to move on with our lives, we'll need new 'recruits'."

I nodded.

We ate in a comfortable silence that had become usual for us. I couldn't say I minded it. It gave me more time to admire him.

He asked me small questions as we ate, simple little ones like my favorite memory growing up and my favorite flavor ice cream.

I cherished each and every moment with him.

Our meal came to a close and I mustered up the courage for my final question.

"Jacob," I began, his eyes met mine and he smiled as I spoke his name.

"Why did you suddenly start wanting to be around me after you broke up with Andy?"

He pursed his lips and sighed. His hand ran through his hair and he shut his eyes a moment before looking at me once more.

"You intrigued me."

I raised an eyebrow. I intrigued him? He was dating my best friend, the most beautiful and intriguing girl on the Reservation. Why did he even break up with her? That was my newest question.

"Why did you break up with her?"

"I had to. Alpha orders have to be obeyed, and Sam said I needed to make sure I wouldn't hurt her."

"So why didn't you go back after her once you were, you know, stable?"

He stared at me again.

"Because you intrigued me."

We stared at each other.

"I don't believe you."

"Eleanor, when I was with Andrea, you were just her best friend. It would've been wrong to focus on you then, right? Well, once we were broken up and I really looked at you, I just knew."

"You just knew what?"

"That I had to have you."

My cheeks grew ablaze and my breathing hitched. I had never heard someone say those words about me. He had to have me? But Jacob was so beautiful and I was so plain. At least I thought I was. It just didn't make sense.

He drove me home that night and walked with me to the door.

"Thank you for taking me tonight, and for answering my questions."

He grinned down at me and wrapped me into his arms, pulling me tight for an embrace.

His arms had become a safe place for me, strong and protective. I was so little in comparison to him and I took advantage of these times when he held me so close. I felt his heart against my chest and his face against my hair. I inhaled deeply and held onto his scent and his body heat. Everything about him was so addicting and wonderful.

He released me from his chest and a hand tenderly grasped my waist, dwarfing me in comparison.

"Eleanor,"

His face was closer to mine than usual, his other hand slowly taking my face into its grasp. His thumb rubbed against my cheekbone and my heart began racing. His eyes bore into mine. I could hear my heart pounding, I was sure it would bust through my ribs at any moment.

His face was so close to mine and his hold on me was so tight yet so gentle. As if he would break me or lose me with one wrong motion.

"Can I kiss you?"

I felt the breath leave my body and everything inside of me froze.

He wanted to kiss me?

My senses were screaming. I wanted- needed- to be closer to him. I was terrified.

But I felt myself nodding.

His lips were against mine in an instant, freezing me in that moment. I responded immediately. His lips melded against mine as if made together by careful hands.

He was so gentle with me, his lips never pressing too hard nor asking for anything more.

My body was on fire and everything inside of me screamed that this was right. This was all so perfect and right and this was exactly how things were supposed to be all the time. There was no time in this world that I wasn't supposed to be right here with Jacob. The electricity coursed through my body in the sweetest way I had ever experienced.

It was over as quickly as it had began.

His eyes found mine and he smiled, a smile so beautiful and genuine that I could've melted in his arms.

"I could get used to this."

I giggled at his words and he pressed a sweet kiss to my forehead once more before promising to see me in the morning.

~o~o~o~o~

 **I cannot offer deep enough apologies for having not updated in so long. In all honesty I'm facing a ton of writers block with this story, though I promise it will continue on to the end! I'm very open to suggestions for ways to continue this, so please leave some in the reviews! I also just began my first Hunger Games fanfiction ever, so feel free to go take a look at that too.**

 **I was sooo excited for their first kiss! Thank you everyone for sticking with me and continuing to read, favorite, follow, and review!**

 **Happy holidays to everyone!**


	23. Little Kisses

**Hello everyone! The absolute love that I've received for this story is unbelievable, and I'm entirely grateful. I never imagined that people would be such big fans of Eleanor and her story, definitely not as much as I am! I know I haven't updated in a while and so I made today's chapter a little longer. There's been a lot going on in the last few and so today I wanted to focus more on the sweetness between Eleanor and Jacob as well as how much he thinks about her. Thank you as always for the constant support!**

 **Jacob POV**

I knew that keeping the imprint a secret from Eleanor wasn't a good idea. She was smart and intuitive and I was surprised she hadn't already picked up the lie. There had to be some doubt in her mind, I knew it. But I just couldn't tell her yet. I was baffled by the fact that she hadn't had an absolute meltdown when she found out about us being wolves, in the first place. Telling her that she was forever tied to me by some mythical force could quite possibly send her over the edge.

I felt my heart begin to rapidly pound in my chest as I pulled up to her house that morning. Typically she drove herself to school and I had to admit I was nervous for this- I didn't even know why.

Her small figure appeared in the doorway and I felt the smile spread from ear to ear. She was beautiful and graceful and perfect. She called something over her shoulder, obviously to her father, before descending down the front steps.

This morning she wore a loose skirt with black nylons and boots, and a typical sweater on top. It was unusual to see her in a skirt though she had been wearing them a lot more lately, and I couldn't say I minded.

I was out of the car and to her side in an instant, opening the passenger door for her and taking her bookbag before tossing it into the backseat.

She smiled at me and my stomach twisted up.

I could watch her smile for the rest of my life, and saying all went perfect, I would.

"Good morning, Miss Eleanor."

She giggled up at me and I carefully shut the door, returning to my side.

"You look incredible, as always." She smiled at my words and she couldn't hide the blush the assaulted her cheeks.

She still spoke sparsely around me, thought at this point I knew it was just her nature- nothing negative in regards to me. I knew she fought the panic disorder hard, she took her pills religiously and put in her best effort to avoid episodes. Because I knew why she was the way she was, I gave her as much leeway as I could, I would never even try to begin to understand what went on in her head.

"My mom is getting married."

Her small voice pulled me from my thoughts as I drove, I loved when she spoke first, when she felt bold and comfortable enough with me to tell me things or start the conversations.

"I didn't know she had a boyfriend, but is that a good thing?"

She chuckled to herself, the sound was like music to my ears.

She was having a good day.

"I didn't know she had a boyfriend either. Julianna isn't happy, she doesn't like him, I guess. She says I'll understand when I meet him at the wedding."

"So you'll be going?"

Obviously the wedding would be in Maine. God knows how long she'd be gone for if she went. Could I handle her being that far away? For however long? I knew I couldn't. I could hardly go a whole day without seeing her, I would never survive her being across the country.

"I don't really have a choice, I mean, I'll get to go home. I've missed it a lot."

She had never mentioned missing home. I guess it was understandable though. I internally sighed. I had to go with her, that was the only solution.

"I'll miss you."

The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them. Her cheeks flamed red hot and I knew she was at a loss for words.

We pulled into the school parking lot and I shut off the car, though neither of us moved.

"I'll miss you too." Her voice was hushed and her cheeks were still bright red, she had a hard time looking me in the eyes.

Her hand reached for the door handle and I sighed, "Eleanor, wait."

She turned to look back at me and I took the opportunity. I took her face into my hand, her soft skin sending heat up my arm.

I brushed my lips against hers, only for a moment, but enough to send a volt of electricity through me with no mercy.

Imprinting was a powerful thing.

She sucked in a breath but eased into it, I knew she had to feel as calm with me as I did with her, regardless of what might be going on in her mind.

We pulled away and her big green eyes stared up at me, I could only smile back. Being with her was so easy. She grinned once more before settling back into her seat, her cheeks still red.

I opened the door for her and handed her her bag before falling into step with her as we began towards the front doors.

"Have a good day and I will see you at lunch." I had walked her to her homeroom and she nodded back. I smiled once more before placing a small kiss on her cheek. She giggled before scurrying into the classroom.

"So when are you going to tell her?" Quil came up beside me, eyebrow cocked, "you know, about the imprint? She's only going to freak more if you wait."

I sighed.

He was right.

How was I supposed to say that? How could anyone say something like that in the right way?

 _Hey, you're my soulmate. We were literally made for each other. No one is ever going to be with you like I can. I'll basically die of rejection if you don't want me._

There was no right way.

I suddenly knew why Jared had always acted and spoke the way he did in regards to Kim. I'll be honest, I made fun of him too. And now I'm a victim with him.

But I knew exactly where he was coming from, Eleanor was the only thing that I ever thought about.

Each and every last detail about her raced through my mind 24/7.

She was 5' 3", I dwarfed her completely. Her frame was little, so little, so dainty, so petite. It was insane. I always felt as if I would shatter her with one wrong move. Her hair was wild, the curls varying from small and tight to large and loose. It wasn't blonde, but it wasn't brown. But it was certainly soft, and it always smelt faintly of lilacs. She loved lilacs, they were her favorite flower. And those little freckles all over her face, oh they killed me. They were splotched across her nose and up her cheekbones, they were everywhere. And she had one special one, right above her lip. It was adorable and she blushed whenever I pointed it out. She blushed a lot.

"Mr. Black?" I snapped from my thoughts and silently cursed. I blanked out again in history.

Mr. Driscoll stared at me, disappointment evident on his face.

"Can you answer my question?"

"Can you repeat it?"

"Absolutely not. Get your head out of the gutter."

I groaned and squeezed shut my eyes, Quil cackling behind me.

Every moment away from Eleanor felt like an eternity.

As the lunch bell rang I was to her locker in a flash.

I had learned that she very rarely bought the school lunch, she said it made her gag. Therefore, she brought her own lunch in a small black bag. Half a sandwich, a fruit of some sort, and a cracker of some sort.

I waltzed to her locker, my heart already pounding against my ribs as I approached.

Her small figure stood in its daily position: one hand on the locker beside hers, one fishing around in her own. I was right on schedule.

"Hey you!" She turned and smiled, my breath caught in my throat.

I took her small frame into my hands, lifting her off her feet and spinning us in a circle. She shrieked out a small giggle and her hands flew to my arms, gripping them tightly. Her head flew back and she laughed. A real, genuine laugh.

I couldn't express the feelings that erupted inside of me in that moment.

So simplistic, and everything I could ever ask for in my whole existence.

Literally my entire world and destiny right there in my hands, laughing with me. She was happy with me.

I brought us to a stop and she giggled up at me, her smile wide and her cheeks flaming and her eyes full of light. I pulled her face in a kissed her quickly, the sparks burning through my blood.

"How has your day been?" She asked, those minty eyes looking up at me.

She wiggled from my grasp and turned to shut her locker, taking her small black bag in her hand before doing so.

I chuckled and ran a hand through my hair, I needed to cut it soon.

"It was alright, I mean, I don't pay attention most of the time but it's no big deal." I shrugged it off and she looked up to me with an eyebrow raised.

She was fussy when it came to academics. She was a little nerd.

Our lunch table was already in full boom as we approached, side by side. Jared had snatched something off of Embry's tray and thrown the whole table into chaos as they fought over it.

I chuckled as I looked around, completely thrilled with my life at the moment.

Eleanor sat to my left as usual, beside Kim as the two would surely whisper together the entire lunch period. Jared and I couldn't get over the fact that fate had miraculously matched us up with two girls so similar. My Eleanor was special of course, but I bet he felt the same way about Kim.

My fingers found a small curl before I could stop myself and her small body shivered when my hand grazed her shoulder blade. I smiled.

Eleanor spoke in a hushed voice with Kim, though I obviously had no trouble hearing.

Kim asked her about dresses.

Dresses?

For what?

I looked to Jared and he met my eyes. We both raised an eyebrow. He had heard them too.

"Kim? Dresses for what?"

She turned and glanced at him, a look of complete shock painting her big features.

"Do you have no idea what next month is?"

His face drew blank.

What was next month?

"It's prom, Jared!" She smiled up at him and I watched his eyes soften at her.

"Prom? Of course it is!" He entertained her.

Prom.

Shit.

Eleanor turned to me and those big green eyes stared up, full of question and uncertainty. My hand slid down to her back, rubbing a small circle along it. I felt her relax slightly.

"Are you okay?" I brought my voice down and she nodded quickly, throwing her eyes to the table and away from me.

I hated when she wouldn't look at me. But I knew she was still nervous almost all the time. The imprint helped it quite a bit, but nothing would be able to fix it. We would just work with it. Fate put us together for a reason.

Prom.

Prom.

Prom.

Prom.

I had to ask Eleanor to prom. She wanted to go, right? She was a girl, of course she'd want to go. But she was Eleanor, and she still surprised me almost every day. What if I asked her, and she didn't want to go? But I could never forgive myself if I didn't ask her and she wanted to go, God knows she would never be able to tell me she wanted to- that's just not who she was.

" _Jake, can you shut up? I don't care about prom_."

Paul's snarl in my head pulled me from thoughts of prom.

" _Leave him alone. You can't understand what it's like_." Jared defended me and I was grateful. Him and Sam knew how hard it was to focus on anything but the imprint.

" _She wants to go, by the way. Kim asked her_."

I felt my heart jump.

" _Thank God for Kim_."

And then came the more difficult thought.

How could I possibly ask her to prom?


	24. Plane Tickets and Promposals

**Eleanor POV**

"Soooo Elli, it's prom season back here. Isn't yours coming up now?"

I sighed at Julianna.

Prom seemed to be just around the corner, Kim hadn't stopped talking about it once. She was ecstatic and said she just knew that Jared was coming up with some amazing way to ask her.

Did Jacob even want to go?

He had never spoken about it, not even once.

Did I even want to go?

I didn't even know.

I loved getting dressed up, even though I hadn't in years. But I needed a dress, right? Who would tell me if it looked good or not? My mom wanted nothing to do with me, my sister was across the country, and Andrea hated me.

Kim? Emily?

Emily always looked beautiful, and she was mothering. She would help me, wouldn't she? If I asked her to. But could I even ask her? What if she didn't want to?

I exhaled.

I couldn't think like that.

Of course she would.

"Yeah, it's coming up."

"You don't seem happy about that. Aren't you going to go? Hey is your cute little boy toy going to bring you?"

"Julianna, he's not my 'little boy toy' I don't even know what we are."

She groaned at me. Maybe I had forgotten how easy it was to be that young.

"Have you gotten your invitation yet?"

I was grateful she had changed the subject. But in all honesty I hadn't gotten any invitation, I had totally forgotten that she was even getting married.

"On, no I haven't. Are you sure she sent it? She hasn't wanted to see me since I moved here."

She waited a minute, contemplating her choice of words.

"She was just hurt, Elli. She really wants you to come."

"Hm."

What else could I say to that?

We fell silent and I sighed.

I would be going home again. Back to the place I was born and raised, to the place where I lost my sister. Where I lost my sanity.

Could I do this?

We hung up shortly after that. I sighed and dropped the phone on the bed beside me and began to work on my homework once more.

"Eleanor, come down here, please."

My dad called up towards me and I felt my heart begin to race. Did he actually want to see me? I bounded down the stairs and came to a stop as Jacob came into view.

 _My Jacob_.

I smiled and could practically feel myself bouncing.

"This came in the mail, too."

My dad slid the envelope across the table towards me and watched expectantly. We both knew what it was, though neither of us would speak the words. My dad knew that mom was getting remarried. I think he knew it would happen all along, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. He let their marriage fail. He let the death of their daughter and the grief consume him and my mom couldn't handle it.

"Keep the door open." He pointed up to my room and I felt my stomach in my throat. Keep the door open, when Jacob went into my room. He wandered back into his room and Jacob and I were left alone.

I chuckled nervously and he smiled at me, leaning down to graze my cheek with his lips. My body erupted with heat, even the slightest contact made me feel warm all over.

"Come on, we'll open that up there." He gently took the envelope from my grasp and hopped up the stairs, casually sitting on the edge of my bed upon arrival.

"Here." He smiled and handed it back to me, carefully watching.

"Stop that." I giggled and brought my hand to my face, shielding it from his view.

"Hey hey, don't do that." His warm hand came to mine and brought it down, kissing my fingertips and bringing forth the shivers down my spine.

I picked open the envelope, sliding the small card out and into my hand. The edges were red and velvet, typical of my mom. It was simple, but nice.

Jacob read it over my shoulder and I fought the chills as his breath hit my neck.

"You forgot something." He picked up the envelope that had fallen into my lap and I cocked an eyebrow.

Two plane tickets dropped out into my hands, a small white slip in between them.

I grasped the small paper and re-read the words a million times.

 _Mom wants to meet your little boy toy, too._

I couldn't look at him. My cheeks were flaming hot and I felt like I could've thrown up. Behind me I knew Jacob was reading it, what I didn't know was what he was thinking. It felt like hours before anyone moved or made a sound. But Jacob's laughter brought some ease to my anxiety at the situation.

I mustered up the courage to turn around and look at him, being met with his bright smile. I felt a grin subconsciously forming on my lips, with someone that beautiful that close to me, how could I not?

"I'm coming to Maine with you?" He smiled down at me with a light in his eyes and a single brow raised.

Is that was this meant? That's why Julianna brought it up on the phone. I inwardly cursed.

Could I handle him coming home with me? Seeing my house and where I grew up and meeting my mom and meeting Julianna? Would I see my old friends? Oh God, I couldn't see my old friends. What would they think of me now? Who I was then and who I was now were two totally different people. I had forgotten what it had even meant to be sane, to not fight with the panic almost constantly. I struggled to remember what I used to be like. I couldn't really gauge it, I was so young then. It was all such a blur.

I sighed and covered my eyes, letting myself get it together. Jacob allowed me to.

Though as I uncovered my eyes and looked back to him, I was able to see his inability to hide the beaming smile on his tanned face.

He looked adorable.

"Well? Am I?"

I giggled and hesitantly nodded, watching as his smile grew and he threw his arms around me. I was engulfed in his heat instantly, his large body crashing into mine and tipping us both over.

And I laughed.

Deep belly laughs that only Jacob could bring out of me.

It was these moments like this that I was able to feel absolutely human again. There was no feelings of anxiety, no panic in the back of my mind or the corners of my eyes nor in the pit of my stomach. I felt completely normal.

I was addicted to the feeling he gave me, the feeling of normality and sanity after so long without it.

I lay on my back, almost entirely out of breath from the laughter. Jacob lay next to me on his side, his elbow digging into the comforter and his hand holding his head up. His eyes were trained on me as I giggled, my hands moving to my face on instinct. He stopped them though, bringing them back down while his eyes never left mine.

He hardly ever allowed me to hide myself from him.

I couldn't say I minded it.

It was a good feeling knowing that he liked to look at me as frequently as he did. I definitely wouldn't ever understand it, but I liked it.

He pressed a tender kiss to my forehead and asked me mindless questions about where I grew up, what my childhood friends were like, my favorites memories from Maine, what he should expect my mother to be like, the kinds of things Julianna was interested in.

The following few days blew by with ease.

As the final bell of the day rang I found Kim by my side in an instant. I looked for Jacob as I approached my locker though he was nowhere to be found. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't fairly alarmed. I had become moderately reliant on the fact that he waited religiously by my locker every day.

I pushed the idea down though, it was all okay. Something with the pack might've come up, considering that Kim was with me instead of Jared.

It was sometimes hard to swallow the fact that they were all werewolves. I mean, that's not the typical high school experience: girl likes boy, boy likes girl, boy turns into furry werewolf.

It's not very practical.

"Soo, you're mom's getting married?" Kim's eyebrow cocked, her eyes wide with curiosity. Her features were so big and she was so plain, yet there really was something pretty about her.

But I nodded and she seemed to rack her brain for something else to say.

"Is Jacob going with you? He was thinking about it with the guys the other night."

I still couldn't wrap my head around the idea of every thought of Jacob's being seen and heard by the whole pack. It was slightly unnerving.

"I guess so, my mom sent an extra plane ticket and there was a note about meeting him, so I can only assume so."

I couldn't help but grin.

It was an internal battle between the giddy feeling I got in my stomach about being able to spend that much time with him and share my hometown with him, and the worry of it all the same.

Kim continued to look over her shoulder nervously, though each time I followed her eyes she turned back hurriedly and would bring up a new senseless topic.

"Hey! Uhm, let's to out to the parking lot now, okay?"

I raised my eyebrows. Why was she being so weird?

We walked out the door and I took notice of her nervous giggles, following her eyes towards the parking lot.

There sat my tiny black civic, covered hood to bumper in sticky notes.

And leaning against it with the most breathtaking smile I've ever seen?

None other than Jacob Black.

I slowed my pace, taking in the image before me. As they came within eyesight I was able to actually read what they said.

Written in his delicately messy handwriting, the single word 'Prom?' laced each of the small squares.

My heart pounded against my ribs and I felt my eyes widen in shock. He covered my entire car in these small sticky notes, it had to have taken forever. He had to have had the guys in on it, and Kim too in order to keep me away long enough to finish.

I was baffled.

The tears hit my cheeks before I even knew they had been accumulating.

He went out of his way to ask something so simple, something that could've just been asked by voice. Could I really mean that much to him? Maybe I was making a mountain out of a molehill. Maybe this wasn't as big of a deal as I was making it.

I wiped the small saltwater puddles from my cheeks in embarrassment and tried to gather myself as I made my way towards him.

His arms were open awaiting my arrival and I rested my forehead against his chest to steady my breathing. His arms made walls around my frame and I brought my hands around his abdomen and I could've stood there forever.

Everything with Jacob was so right. It was as if this was all meant to come together.

Kim squealed in delight from behind us and I giggled.

As I pulled myself from his chest to look up at him Jacob smiled, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well?" He pulled a note from the hood and held it up, his eyes swerving between the paper and my face.

I felt my cheeks heat up and nodded vigorously, unable to contain the small giggles from erupting.

He laughed briefly before taking my face in his hands and placing a small kiss upon my lips.

I was on cloud nine.


	25. The Imprint

**Eleanor POV**

It had taken what felt like forever to remove the small squares of paper from my small car, though Jacob made Jared and Quil stay to help him. Kim had whisked me off to the side in excitement, her mouth moving a million miles an hour in talk of dresses and dinner plans.

I was overwhelmed and the corners of my vision threatened to grow blurry though I pushed it away. I couldn't do this now.

Kim was too excited and Jacob was so happy and I could not allow right now to be the time when the panic takes over.

"Emily and I found this dress shop in Seattle, we could go up there this weekend! Oh Eleanor, this is going to be amazing." She gushed and I smiled.

I was grateful for Kim being so similar to me, considering neither of us really liked talking much. Though I had come to realize that she was much more attuned to getting excited over things, such as prom.

She told me of how Jared asked her- how he had taken her to a fancy restaurant in Port Angeles, they dressed up and he treated her like a queen. As their meal came to a closing, he had simply asked her if she would do him the honor of accompanying him to prom.

She had cried.

I was unable to muffle the giggles that erupted as she told me this, her cheeks blazing red before she allowed herself to laugh with me.

As my car was finally returned to its normal state Jacob and Jared snaked towards us. Kim and Jared said their goodbyes as Jacob's eyes fell into me, filling with their all too familiar waves of emotions.

I might never understand why he looked at me like that.

"Hey, I don't have patrol until 6, why don't you come over for a couple hours?" He raised an eyebrow to me in question and I agreed, spending time with Jacob had become one of my only activities. I couldn't say I minded.

And so I followed his rabbit back to the familiar red house, parking my small car beside his.

Billy met us on the front porch, Jacob's eyebrows shooting up with curiosity. Obviously Billy's behavior was deemed unusual.

His face was grave and in his hand lay a small square of white paper, a dainty purple bow adorning the top.

"Dad, what uh, what is that?" Jacob reached out towards it, Billy silently handing it to him.

I tried to force away my curiosity as Jacob read whatever the paper said, though his scrunching eyebrows made this hard. Why was he in such deep thought?

All of a sudden realization of something set in and he began shivering- no- trembling. He was about to phase.

But why? What did it say?

I could feel my heart rate speed up, I was getting nervous for him.

"Jacob, don't do this."

"They're going to kill her!"

Jacob took off towards the woods and the distinct sound of shredding fabric tore through the air. He had phased.

The paper floated down towards the porch and Billy and I only stared at each other for a moment before the curiosity got the best of me. I reached down and grabbed it, bringing it up.

It was a wedding invitation.

To Bella and Edward's wedding.

He still cared that much about Bella that the thought of her getting married made him phase.

Something in my chest pulled hard and I felt the air leave my lungs. My vision grew cloudy and I clamped my eyes shut.

I knew Billy was watching me but the unnerving feelings erupting inside of me were too much to care about what he was thinking of me.

He still loved Bella, I knew it, I should've known it all along. Bella and Andrea were so similar, that's why he loved them both so much. He was too good for me, they were right for him. I had known it all along, I just kept trying to convince myself otherwise. I was stupid, I was so so stupid for thinking that he really wanted me.

He still wanted Bella and that was more obvious now than it had ever been.

"Eleanor?"

Billy's voice pulled me from my thoughts, my eyes slowly opening to face him.

"Are you okay? Jake should be back soon, you should come inside."

I stared at him. He knew that Jacob still loved Bella yet he was inviting me in? That didn't make sense.

"Here, common in, dear." And his hand came out, shooing me towards the front door. What choice did I have but to go in?

He brought me towards their couch, telling me to sit down and that he'd be in his room if I needed anything.

What I needed was to leave, Jacob didn't want me, he made that obvious. My chest ached and every sweet word of his passed through my mind, the way he looked at me. Oh the way he looked at me. It all hurt.

Something in the pit of my stomach stirred.

 _He does want you_

He had to, right? Why would he waste his time with me if he didn't want me? None of it made sense.

I covered my face and leaned my head back against the couch.

It smelt like Jacob. Earthy and piney and warm. _Like home_.

The front door clicked open and slowly uncovered my eyes, revealing a shirtless Jacob standing in the living room doorway, shame etching his perfect features. He was so beautiful.

It wasn't like I hadn't seen Jacob shirtless before, he had a beautifully sculpted body, but it still took my breath away every time. I averted my eyes and sighed.

"I'm sorry I did that."

His voice broke the silence and I looked back up to meet his eyes. He meant it. I shrugged.

"Eleanor, I- I don't want you thinking anything is wrong with us."

I could only stare at him. _Us_? What were we even? Could I even consider us a couple? I mean, we were together all the time, and we kissed, and I was crazy about him- even I couldn't ignore something like that. But there was something about us, something that was different. We weren't a "normal" couple, there was something off about us. I couldn't quite place what it was, but I knew it was there.

"Do you still love her?"

He stared at me, he was baffled. "Are you, are you kidding, El? She's, she's going to be a vampire!"

"So would you still love her if she wasn't going to be?"

He went silent. I brought my eyes to the carpeted floor and for the first time in a long time, we fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"Not eventually." He finally spoke and I brought my eyes up to meet his once more. I rose an eyebrow.

"Not eventually? What is that supposed to mean?"

Jacob sighed at me, running his hands through his hair and back down his face. I was frustrating him, but at the moment, I didn't care.

"Eleanor, I. I didn't want to tell you like this."

"Tell me what?"

He sighed again and came towards me, kneeling down on the floor and gently placing his hands on my knees.

"Do you remember the legends from the bonfires, the spirit warriors, the third wife?" His eyes bore into mine and I nodded.

"Jacob, you can turn into a werewolf, obviously I remember them."

His eyes lit up but his lips stayed in a thin line. There was more?

"Do you remember how the third wife was different?"

"Jacob, I don't understand where you are going with this-"

"Just answer my questions and listen to me, please, Eleanor."

I sighed. None of this was making sense. But I complied.

"Yes I remember she was different, she sacrificed herself for her husband." He nodded, pleased with my answer. His eyes were shining as he continued to stare into mine.

"She did that, because she was his imprint, his soulmate."

I stared at him, an eyebrow cocked. The third wife sacrificed her life in order to protect her soulmate, I understood that. What more was there?

"Wait, what's an imprint?" I realized that I missed that part. What was an imprint?

He sighed, and began, "An imprint is the soulmate of a shifter. A special bond is formed between the shifter and his imprint, and as soon as the shifter sees her he knows. Everything changes, and suddenly, suddenly she's the only thing that matters. She was created just for them." His eyes had filled with emotion, so strong I felt held there by his stare.

But I didn't know where he was going, it wasn't making sense. Was he telling me that Bella was his imprint? Something inside of me twisted.

"Jacob, what- I don't understand."

He gripped my knees tighter, his face leaning in just a little closer to mine and his eyes- filled with emotion- stared straight into mine. Warm chocolate meeting cold mint.

"Eleanor, you're my imprint. You're my soulmate, you were made for me."


	26. Structure and Stability

**Jacob POV**

She stared at me.

That was all she did for what felt like hours.

And then her face twisted up, her eyebrows scrunching together in confusion and her lips pursing. She shook her head rapidly, her curls splaying from side to side in vicious waves.

"No, no, Jacob. I ruined your life, didn't I?" Her voice was pained and I watched as her eyes pooled with tears.

I shook my head 'no', gripping her knees tighter.

"Yes I did! You wanted Bella, you still do! Oh God, no, no you still want Andrea. You wish it was them. Oh God I should've just stayed away! You could've been with either of them, you could've been happy with the ones you love, oh no, Jacob I ruined it all." She sobbed now, her voice falling to a pained whisper, the tears escaping her eyes and pouring down her pale cheeks.

My heart crumpled and my throat went dry as I shook my head.

How could she possibly think those things? It was her panic disorder, she was shutting down.

I tried to swallow and almost gagged.

"Eleanor, no, I would've picked you any way!"

I would've, right?

Yes! Of course I would have, she was made for me. I would've realized it at some point without the imprint.

"No you wouldn't have! You were so happy with Andrea," she squeezed her eyes shut and pushed my hands away from her knees, "I'm so sorry, Jacob, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Her eyes stayed shut and the tears streamed down, painting her freckle-dotted face with salty pools.

Everything was crumpling, the wolf inside of me was rearing in pain. My imprint was in pain and I was in agony. And I couldn't fix it, I was the reason for it.

My eyes burned and my throat burned and my chest was on fire and my stomach was in knots.

I took her face into my hands, begging her to just open her eyes and let me fix this.

But she was too far into the panic attack and she wriggled from my grasp.

I felt my heart clench again.

"Eleanor, you need to listen to me, please. Please, Elli." My voice cracked to a whisper and I leaned forward, once again taking her small face into my hold, my thumbs wiping the tears. She didn't fight me this time and after a moment her eyes opened.

Red rimmed and puffy and so full of pain and sorrow I could've cried with her.

"I would have found you no matter what, that's how it works. I would have picked you. The imprint just speeds it up, it's supposed to make it easier."

Her tears slowed to a stop and I held her there, one of her small hands finding the back of my arm, gripping me tightly. Her touch was making it better.

I brought my hands to rake through her curls, the spirals snapping back into place as soon as my fingers brushed by. I held the back of her head, her eyes never leaving mine.

She was too precious, how could I ever let her go?

"I would have loved you in a million different ways, one way or another."

She raised an eyebrow, staring at me with those big eyes.

I hadn't said I loved anyone since Andrea, I thought it would feel so foreign and wrong.

But saying it to Eleanor, to my _imprint_ , to the one that was made for me, it felt so right. Everything with her felt so _right_.

"You aren't forced into this?" Her voice was so little and I couldn't help but crush her small body against mine in an embrace.

"No, Eleanor. I'm not forced into this at all, this is how it's supposed to be. I promise."

I felt her nod against my body as her small arms came up to return the embrace.

She was quiet as we sat there, even more quiet than her usual self. But I knew she was processing it, I could only imagine trying to grasp it. She was bound to me for the rest of her life. It was a lot to wrap your head around.

"Do you want to go see Emily? I know it's a lot to handle, and she might make you feel better, and I have to patrol soon." I offered her the only motherly comfort I knew, Emily was always so good at making all of us feel better.

She shrugged and I brought us to stand up.

I was reluctant to let her go, even for a moment. I couldn't even comprehend what I had seen. She had gone through a full blown panic attack. I knew she wasn't always alright, some days were better than others, but I had never imagined this. The Eleanor I knew had shut down. And it hurt me that I would never be able to fix it or make it better.

I imagined that the drive to Emily's would be as silent as our embrace in my living room, except it wasn't.

"Do all of the guys have, uhm, _imprints_?" The word fell from her tongue almost distastefully and I internally sighed. I knew she wasn't too familiar or comfortable with the whole idea of it yet. But I understood.

"Not all of them, it's supposed to be a really rare and beautiful thing. Sam and Jared both have imprints, Emily and Kim. And," I chuckled, "Quil has one too."

"Who?" A thin eyebrow of hers raised and I chuckled again, sliding my hand over and taking her hand into mine.

"Remember that little girl that you met once? Claire?"

Her eyebrow raised even more to meet her hairline, her lips pursing in confusion, "Well yes, I remember her, but what does that have to do with Quil's imprint?"

"That is his imprint, Eleanor."

I dared looking over at her, unable to hold in my laughter at her shocked face. Her mouth fell slightly agape and her grip on my hand fell limp, I allowed my hand to rest on her knee.

"But, but, Jacob! That's a child, what-"

"El, it's fine! He doesn't see her like that. Right now, he's just like a big brother to her. And when she gets a little older, he'll become her friend. He won't even see her like that until she's old enough and able to accept it. That's how it works, we have to do what our imprint wants. Whether or not it hurts us."

She contemplated this for a minute, I could practically see the gears turning in her head.

"So if I only wanted to be friends, you would have to do that?"

I felt my stomach drop. She had always been so hesitant around me, did she only ever want a friendship? Did I force myself on her?

But I nodded.

"I- uh- I would have to do that."

It fell silent.

And her eruption of giggles snapped us out of it, her small hand finding mine and fighting to lace our fingers together. I obliged happily.

"I'm just kidding, Jacob."

I smiled at her, my heart fluttering as I squeezed her hand in affection. She was incredible.

"I can hardly stand you enough to even be your friend." My eyes snapped to her face, begging to see the teasing smile waiting for me.

And it was there.

She smirked at my and giggled once more and quickly rested her head against my shoulder for a moment before returning to her previous position.

I shook my head and chuckled. When she was good, she was great.

We pulled into Emily's and I slowly released her hand, coming around to Eleanor's door to open it for her. She grinned up at me and slowly followed me in, her small body tucking beneath my arm safely. She fit there perfectly.

The smell of green bean casserole and pumpkin pie assaulted my nostrils as we approached the house and the screen door creaked open upon our entrance.

"Emily, I have Eleanor!" I called out. Her squeal was quickly followed by her hurried footsteps down the hallway and towards us.

I chuckled as she grabbed Eleanor from me, throwing her arms around my imprint and pulling her in close. Eleanor had been around her enough that at this point she was well adjusted to Emily's affection, much like my own, and she knew well enough to simply return the gesture and everyone would be happy.

"Hey El, I'm going to go relieve Paul and Jared. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" I leaned down and she offered her cheek for me to kiss. Her cheeks were always soft and warm, everything about her was so warm and perfect.

She was truly my perfect match.

 **Eleanor POV**

Jacob left, the door clattering shut behind him. I watched as he jogged to the tree line before ducking beneath the thick branches. He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. And I was made for him? How could that possibly be?

I sighed and turned back to Emily as she watched me expectantly.

"Do you want some tea? Dinner should be ready soon, too. Do you like green bean casserole? I have that with some chicken, I know you like chicken though. Anddddd, for dessert, pumpkin pie! With homemade whipped cream!" She clapped her hands together, her smile wide as she led us back to the kitchen. It all smelt amazing.

"Tea sounds good, Emily, it all sounds great." I smiled at her as she grabbed a cup from the cupboard and tea bags from on top of the fridge.

"Soo, I'm assuming there's a reason that Jacob brought you here so abruptly. Am I right?"

She poured the boiling water in the cup and stirred, a knowing smile on her lips.

I shrugged and my eyes fell to the floor as she placed the cup in front of me, "Jacob told me about, _imprinting_."

Emily grinned and nodding, plopping down beside me.

"It's a pretty crazy thing, isn't it?" She giggled and I nodded. This whole thing was crazy. The supernatural was surrounding me, and somehow, for some crazy reason, I was okay with all of it.

"It's just," I paused, "how is it- hm. Are you sure it was me that was made just for Jacob? He's just so, and, how can I be right for him?"

Emily sighed and looked at me, her hand coming over to rest on my forearm.

"Eleanor, it's nuts. This whole thing is absolutely bonkers. Trust me, I know." She chuckled, but caught herself quickly and began again, "But it's all real, the legends, everything. And you're Jacob's imprint, which really does mean you were made for him. Your personality and your wants and needs were all carefully designed to compliment his. Haven't you ever noticed how he has the right words to say, or how your hands or your bodies just seem to, fit?"

I pondered her words for a minute, I guess it all did make sense. Upon every one of my breakdowns, Jacob knew just the right words to say or things to do. He was never startled by my emotions or thrown off by my words, he knew just what to do. And our hands, his were so big and tanned and gruff from working, and mine were so little and pale and thin- yet somehow, every time I looked at them intertwined I couldn't help but see the peculiar way they melded together. I melted into his embraces and our lips molded together in every kiss.

I guess it really all did make sense. I could feel my nerves settling down.

And to further prove the point, Jacob knew that Emily would make it better.

Something about this all was so comforting, it was all so secure. Jacob was made for me, I was made for him. I was the only one that he would ever want.

I had always been a fan of structure and stability. And suddenly I was handed the epitome of those very things.


	27. The Wedding

**Eleanor POV**

The following week passed by smoothly and I felt myself falling into a comfortable pattern with Jacob. Sometimes I caught myself second guessing everything- it all seemed too good. The spirits had bound me to the most perfect human being I had ever encountered? I couldn't understand how I had been so lucky.

Kim and I had somehow grown closer, it was most likely due to the fact that now I knew about imprinting. We were both in the same boat considering I finally knew about every weird wolf thing. Emily called us the wolf girls.

I spent the majority of my time at Emily's with Kim. She was almost always cooking and both Kim and I found comfort in her motherly qualities. I was able to actually talk about everything under the sun with them. I could actually say that I let down my walls for them. And I mean, it was safe to. We were all bound to a pack of shapeshifters by some supernatural force. We might as well be as close as close could be.

The guys were getting more comfortable with my presence as well. Things with Embry would probably never be the same considering he knew about my three-year-long crush on him. I knew he felt horrible about it, but Jacob's protectiveness and Embry's natural shyness really stood in the way of us even becoming friends. Quil and Jared provided most of my company aside from Jacob and Kim, Jared because of Kim's ever-presence in my world and Quil simply because we got along well. Considering we had gone through a period of time together when Jacob and Andrea both refused to speak to us, we had found a way to grow close.

"Sam, I don't know why we can't just tear into them now and end it all." Paul grumbled, aggressively biting into a cheeseburger. Sam rolled his eyes at him again from across the room and shook his head.

"Not only would that be breaking the treaty and throw us all into an outright war, but they haven't given us any reason to."

He was always the voice of reason, it was no wonder he was such a good alpha.

"No reason?! They're showing up in swarms, Sam! All for that goddamn wedding."

"Carlisle has already assured me that they will all be on their best behavior. I'm not going to start something without reason."

Paul grunted at Sam's answer, once again displeased with his lack of desire to fight.

I giggled from my seat and Sam snuck a small smile in my direction.

"Emily, we're still going to go up to Seattle tomorrow, aren't we? To look for dresses?" Kim pulled my attention back to her as she stared up at Emily. I had almost completely forgotten about our plans.

"Seattle? Alone? No. Take one of the guys with you." Sam interrupted immediately. Emily only sighed and rested a hand on his arm, placing a chaste kiss on his jaw.

"I'll go!" Jared yelled out, Sam's eyes shooting to him, "Absolutely not. You have patrol. Quil, you'll go with them."

Quil's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to protest, only to clamp it shut with the stern stare of Sam's. I had to admit, I wasn't even a part of the pack but his stare intimidated me.

The screen door creaked open and I felt my heart swell, already knowing exactly who it was. I spun in my chair to find non other than Jacob Black himself, shirtless and glorious and smiling at me with that smile that could make my insides melt.

He stared at me expectantly, opening up his arms and standing there. I giggled and smiled at him for a moment before complying. I stood from my chair and rushed towards him, his large arms encasing me in his embrace, his heat rushing over me and his scent infiltrating all of my senses.

I was smitten.

Even I knew that much.

His face came down into my hair and I felt him inhale, a giggle escaping my lips. He placed a kiss atop my head before coming down to graze my temple. I smiled as chills ran down my spine. We were however long into this and I still couldn't help it.

I knew things had been hard for him knowing that his childhood best friend was marrying a vampire, and especially knowing that she would soon become one. The wedding was only days away and I knew the sooner it was over, the better things would be.

Despite how upset I knew he had been recently, I relished in the fact that I provided happiness for him.

That night my dad was sitting on the couch when Jacob dropped me off. It was strange to see him there but I smiled nonetheless, dropping my jacket by the doorway and wandering in to sit with him.

"Eleanor." He nodded at me and picked up the remote, clicking through the channels on the television.

"How was your day?" I raised an eyebrow as I watched him. It seemed as if he had aged so much since we moved here. He was tall and lanky, when I was little I thought that he was the most handsome man I had ever seen. He was always smiling and he face always glowed a rosy color. But he never smiled anymore and I hadn't seen him glow in five years. His hair was a little lighter than mine and cut short and close to his scalp, shorter than even the pack's haircuts. His eyes were a blue that used to shine, though now it seemed as if they had dulled down to a pale and musty blue.

"Where have you been spending so much time?"

His question caught me by surprise and for a moment I only stared at him.

"My friend Emily's house."

The room fell silent and for the first time in a long time we actually looked at each other. I felt his eyes scanning my face, taking in the daughter that he had neglected for five years. I wondered if I looked different to him, if his lack of interest in me had stopped him from actually watching me grow up.

"Spend an awful lot of time there." He grumbled and turned back to the television.

"Well, a lot of my friends go there too, like Kim and Jacob." I tried to explain it as best I could, I didn't want the conversation to be done.

But it was.

He didn't offer even a nod to acknowledge that I had spoken.

I sighed and began towards the stairs, snatching my jacket from the floor and dropping my head. A knock on the front door stopped me in my tracks and I slowly looked back to it.

"I'll get it, dad."

I knew that Jacob wouldn't be back here, he had just left and he would've texted me if he had. No one else ever came to see us.

I slowly wandered down the hall and opened the door, coming face to face with Isabella Swan herself.

I was 100% positive that I was unable to hide my shock and for what felt like hours we just stared at each other in question.

"Uhm, hi." She finally spoke and I nodded back, "Hello."

She looked to the ground uncomfortably and I found myself at a loss for words. What could possibly bring her to my house? She hadn't come around since she told me to talk to Jacob, which felt like forever ago.

"Would you like to come in?" She seemed surprised at my words but she slowly nodded and I moved aside to allow her in.

My dad had obviously gone to his room and so Bella and I found ourselves sitting on opposite ends of the couch, our eyes casted downwards.

"I came here to ask both you and Jacob to come to my wedding."

She wanted us to go to her wedding?

"Jacob got the invitation, but he hasn't really mentioned it since," I didn't know what she wanted me to say, I couldn't just make Jacob do something. And if I could, would I want to go to a vampire wedding? That was just too much.

Bella had fallen silent and I couldn't help but notice her eyes wandering around my house. It was empty, I was well aware of that. I loved pictures, I had plenty in my room. But not my dad, he hated them. He hated knowing that things weren't as they once were, like Nia being gone now, and my mom marrying another man, he hated seeing glimpse of how things once were when he knew he couldn't have it anymore.

It was sad.

But I didn't like to think of how sad things were- with Jacob in my life and Kim and Emily, and Julianna and I back in contact, I could only think of how great things were. It was weird, given the fact that my relationship with my parents was nonexistent and my childhood best friend hated me because I was spiritually bound to her ex-boyfriend. But, aside from that harsh reality, I couldn't help but notice how fresh things felt, to say the least. It was as a blurry film had been removed from my vision of the world, as if a weight had lifted from my shoulders, and every question I could ever ask was already answered. I could think of no other way to describe it than simply what it was: magical.

"I figured he might be a little upset. But, I'd really like it if you two came." She was persistent, I'd give her that. And so I nodded.

We sat there longer than necessary before she brought herself to the door, I had tentatively wandered behind her. We shared a brief moment of eye contact before she offered a thin grin and scurried back to her pick up truck.

I sighed.

It was because of that evening that not 3 days later I found myself and Jacob in his rabbit and on our way to Bella Swan's wedding. His left leg bounced as he drove, his right one hardly able to stay steady on the gas pedal. One hand gripped the steering wheel as the other held mine for dear life. His grip was unbreakable on my small hand but I knew he was restless and needed to have something to hold onto.

Kim and Emily and I had indeed gone dress shopping in Seattle, and I had indeed found a prom dress. A rich silk burgundy gown that fell and formed against my small frame and loosened up just slightly at the bottom, thin straps criss-crossing over my back.

Jacob loved my dress, but I knew he would say he did even if he hated it.

We pulled down the Cullen's long driveway, the lights glittering along the pathway. You could practically feel the supernatural permeating through the air.

Jacob parked, exhaling a deep breath and gripping the steering wheel tightly for a moment more than what was necessary before turning to find my eyes, smiling as he did so.

I smiled back. How could I not smile when he was so handsome?

He stepped out of the car, hurrying to my side to open my door for me. I couldn't help but blush, still. The imprint had a good part in it, but I knew he'd still make me feel that way even if it wasn't for the pull.

I soothed my dress down, the soft fabric having bunched on the ride there. We dressed casually classy- Jacob in black dress pants and a white button up, his sleeves rolled up slightly, and I in a one shoulder minty green dress.

His hand found the small of my back with ease, guiding us towards the backyard.

"Eleanor, I don't know if I can do this."

He stopped walking, his hand gliding over to hold my waist as he brought his face close to mine. I raised an eyebrow, bringing my hand up to rest on his chest.

"We can leave right now if you want to. If that's what you want, I'll get right back in that car and we can pretend that this never happened." I began, Jacob slowly nodding his head and allowing me to continue, "But this is going to be your last chance of seeing her before they turn her. And I really don't think that you want to miss that opportunity. It's all up to you though, I will do whatever you need me to."

He shut his eyes for a moment, resting his forehead against mine.

"Thank you, El. Let's do this."

He reopened his eyes and smiled at me, placing a delicate kiss on my nose. I automatically giggled, squirming from his grasp. He chuckled once before his hand found mine and we began towards the backyard.

It was no question that the supernatural had been in charge of creating a wedding so beautiful. The lights twinkled from the trees, beautiful white vines dangling above the ceremony. Logs served as the seats and a beautiful arch stood at the end of the aisle.

It was all gorgeous.

I felt Jacob's grip tighten on my hand as Alice, one of Edward's sisters, approached us. She smiled, genuinely happy to see us.

"Jacob, Eleanor! Bella will be glad to see that you two made it."

Jacob nodded, I knew he wasn't comfortable with any of this. I smiled back at Alice though and said a simple "Hello."

She pointed us to where to sit and as we neared the obvious supernatural Jacob grew even more tense. I rubbed circles into his palms as his eyes roamed his surroundings. After a few minutes, I began to as well.

"Are they vampires?" I nodded to a group of women, three platinum blondes who's beauty radiated off of them in waves.

Jacob followed my gesture, his jaw setting and his head slowly nodding a "yes" to my question.

"They're beautiful." I found myself whispering, unable to look away from the women, Jacob's eyes continuing to flutter around.

"You're beautiful." He absentmindedly mumbled, his attention still yet to come back to me.

I felt the blush creep up my cheeks before I could stop it.

The wedding ceremony was tasteful and lovely. I found myself in awe of it. Jacob's eyes rested on me for the majority of the time, I didn't mind though.

Things were changing for me, and I was positive that it was all for the better. When I was with Jacob, I felt normal again. I actually remembered what it was like before Nia died, the feeling of assurance and stability and confidence in my own skin.

Jacob and I really were made to compliment one another to a T.

The reception began and I felt Jacob grow tense once again as Bella and Edward approached us. I rested my hand on his arm for a moment, his hand snaking around my waist to pull me closer.

"You guys game, thank you so much!" Bella gushed, a smile lighting up her face. I watched as Edward's grip on her tightened for a moment before releasing, Bella coming towards us.

I was shocked to say the least when she hugged me first.

She cast her arms over my shoulders and pulled me close, her face just centimeters from my ear.

"Thank you, Eleanor." She kissed my cheek gently before pulling back, leaving me in awe.

Both Jacob and Edward stood with eyebrows raised.

She hugged Jacob quickly and thanked us once more for coming before her and Edward wandered off to thank more guests.

Jacob faced me once more, his eyebrows raised but a smile gracing his lips nonetheless.

"You ready to go, gorgeous?"

I nodded quickly as a giggle escaped my lips once more.

His smile grew and he quickly kissed me before we began towards the car once more.


	28. Prom Night

**Eleanor** **POV**

Another week or so passed, and soon enough it was the day of prom.

Kim and I found ourselves at Emily's, as always, to get ready. Two of her aunts from the Makah Reservation came down to do our hair and makeup.

I had to admit that I was a little weary of it, I didn't like meeting new people. But they were related to Emily and the moment they walked through the door, I felt slightly better.

Mira was a larger set woman, with rich dark skin and slightly graying black hair pulled into a loose braid. She was in charge of doing our hair.

Kim asked her put some type of braid in hair hair and curl the rest, and she curled mine and pinned it all up into a loose bun.

Anya had much lighter skin than Mira, she was younger and wore a permanent smile and was chattering constantly. She did our makeup.

"My oh my, sweetie, look at your skin. Mira! You ever seen skin this pale? It's beautiful, lovely, look at those freckles. Just darling."

I giggled as she spoke, her eyes finding me again as she smiled.

She did my makeup with nude eyeshadows and lots of mascara.

"Eleanor, have you talked to Jacob today? Jared's on patrol for like another half an hour but he said he can get ready really quick and then we can take pictures!"

Kim was practically bouncing off the walls, she was ecstatic for prom. But I nodded and looked over to her, Anya was just finishing up her makeup.

"M'hm, he should be here soon."

She squealed, Anya scolding her for wiggling too much.

The guys started showing up soon after that, the whole house was thrown into chaos. I wasn't shocked by this at all.

"Quil! Knock it off, I just got it straight!" Embry cried, shoving away Quil's hand. He laughed and slapped at the black bowtie again, the two falling into cackling laughter as they fought.

I giggled as the door opened, Jacob coming in.

My heart fluttered as he smiled at me, he was already dressed- he was so handsome.

His whole tux was black, his undershirt a white button up and his bowtie the same maroon color as my dress.

He was _breathtaking_.

He smiled at me as he made his way towards me, his arms already reaching out to wrap around my waist. I leaned up to kiss his jaw, a low grumble erupting in his throat as he smiled down at me.

"Eleanor! Come help me get my dress on?" Kim called from upstairs.

I wriggled from Jacob's grasp and made my way up, helping Kim put on her dress- a baby blue strapless one- and she helped me with mine.

As we descended down the stairs to see the guys standing and waiting, I couldn't help but feel 100% complete.

I thought about last year, at that time, I never would've pictured things being the way they were now. I wouldn't have even planned on going to prom, that was always Andrea's kind of thing, definitely not mine.

Jacob's hands found my waist immediately once again, his face coming down to plant a sweet kiss on my cheek, mumbling about how I was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on.

I felt the blush creep up my cheeks before I even had a chance to stop it. I turned away my face, though his lips continued to dapple along my skin as he laughed.

"Alright, everybody get together, right there by the stairs! And you two, I want pictures of just you and your girls after!" Emily grabbed the camera from the table, her smile taking up her whole face. "Oh, Sam, just look at them!" She gushed. Sam smiled and shook his head, coming up behind her to watch.

Jared and Kim, and Jacob and I stood side by side, their hands delicately holding our hips. To Jared's other side stood Embry, and to Jacob's stood Quil.

Emily fought to get just one good photo of the six of us, either Quil or Jared managing to ruin every single one. She finally gave up and agreed to let everyone make funny faces.

We rode to the school in both Jacob and Jared's cars, pulling in along with everyone else.

As we approached the doors to the gymnasium, I felt my stomach in my throat. There were so many people in there, Andrea was in there. The lights were flashing bright colors and the music was pounding so loud that you could feel it in your chest. The hot air was radiating out, the body heat coming from everyone in such close proximity.

I knew Jacob could sense my unease, he pulled us to the side and took my face into his hands.

"El, listen to me. This is our prom! This is going to be one of the best nights of your life, I promise. Everything's okay, okay?"

I nodded and he grinned, leaning forward to kiss me.

I felt my nerves unwind as we entered the gym, the entire atmosphere of it engulfing us.

"Jake! Over here!" Jared's voice called above the noise, his hand coming up to wave him towards them.

Kim smiled at me as we approached and I couldn't help but smile back at the girl who had managed to become my best friend.

And I had fun.

We danced and we danced, I actually danced. Never in my life had I gone to a school dance, therefore I had obviously never danced at a school dance before.

Jacob held onto me the entire night, his careful eyes seeming to be filled with emotion each time I looked up at him.

Every now and then Kim would steal me away from Jacob and we would dance together, giggling and spinning one another around in circles.

I didn't see Andrea once, though I imagined she looked breathtaking.

Every time the music slowed down, Jacob would pull me close and bury his face in my hair. I'd giggle and latch my arms around his neck, my heels actually making it so I could reach his neck.

I could honestly say that I had never been as happy as I was in that moment. With Jacob's loving touch engulfing me, his eyes locked on my face in adoration.

"I want you to know, Eleanor, I love you."

He caught me off guard, his voice low and his eyebrows scrunched together.

I raised an eyebrow and felt my cheeks burn and my heart pound against my ribs, he said he loved me. Jacob _loved_ me.

I was on cloud nine.

"I love you too, Jacob."

His smile could've lit up the whole room. It spread to his eyes and I could feel his happiness radiating off of him in waves.

I giggled as he trained a trail of kisses down my face, landing on my lips.

Kissing Jacob was like being in heaven. It was like every other thing in the world melted away, and perfection was all that was left. It was indescribable.

"Guys! We gotta go, something just happened."

Embry's voice pulled our attention back to earth and both Jared and Jacob sent him glares.

"What do you mean, ' _something happened'_?" Jacob asked, his eyebrows raised high. He shared a worried glance with Jared before they brought their attention back to Embry.

Kim looked to me her eyebrows scrunched together and her lips pursed.

"Something happened with the Cullens, and, and Bella. Sam needs us now."

I felt my stomach drop as Jacob grew tense beside me, I put my hand to his bicep.

"But, it's _prom_." Jared argued, throwing a hand out in emphasis.

Embry sighed as Quil walked up behind him, they both nodded.

"I know. Sam said he's sorry, but it's kinda urgent." Embry pursed his lips.

Both Jared and Jacob sighed and turned to Kim and I.

"El, I'm so sor-"

"Jacob, it's fine."

"No, it's not. I'm ruining your prom for you."

I sighed and grabbed his face, "It's your prom too, first of all. But it's not ruined. This has been the best night ever because of you. And plus, I kinda signed up for this kind of thing when I started dating a werewolf."

He chuckled at me before sighing again, Kim and Jared were having their own quiet discussion beside us.

But they too ended their conversation and we all followed Quil and Embry out of the school and back to the parking lot.

We rode back to Sam and Emily's house in almost total silence. It was obvious that Jacob and Jared were livid about having to leave early, but neither Kim or I were that upset. We didn't like big scenes or lots of people, being with our wolves was enough.

Sam met the guys at the front door, his mouth a thin line and his jaw set hard. It softened slightly when he looked at Kim and I standing side by side.

"I'm sorry, girls, about having to cut your night short."

We nodded in acceptance and I offered him a thin grin before his attention turned back to the guys.

"Seth was visiting the Cullens when he discovered it. Bella is pregnant with a vampire child."

Everything was dead silent.

A vampire child? Was that even _possible_?

I felt Jacob begin to tremble behind me, his nostrils flaring.

"What?! That's not possible, Sam."

Jared was the one to say what we were all thinking but Sam nodded curtly, his face growing tense again.

"Apparently it _is_ possible, because it happened. I'm calling a meeting right now in the woods. Girls, you're welcome to stay here with Emily while this mess is sorted out."

Everything happened too quickly after that.

Kim and I were ushered into the house by our wolves, their movements frantic and hurried.

We had both planned on staying the night anyway, though not under such circumstances. We quickly changed into our casual clothes, black leggings and a forest green sweatshirt for myself, before rushing back downstairs- leaving our hair and makeup as it was.

Jared took Kim into his arms quickly, the two already beginning their own personal talk.

"Eleanor, I'm so sorry. I'll make this up to you, I promise."

Jacob pleaded, his hands finding my waist and his voice crackling from stress.

I shook my head, bringing my hands up to rest on his chest, "No, no, it's okay! Everything's okay. You go and do what you have to do, and I'll be right here when you get back. It's okay." I found myself nodding to try and convince myself even.

A vampire child? What about that was okay? Everything most certainly was _not_ okay. But I wasn't mad. I knew that Jacob had to protect his tribe, his duty to his people was far more important than prom. It was just one night in high school, it didn't define everything.

Jacob took a night that I hadn't even planned on having, and made it one of the best of my life.

He nodded once and pressed his lips against mine. It was hard and panicked but I couldn't blame him, and I couldn't complain.

"I'll be back, okay? Stay here, and I'll be back soon. I love you Eleanor, okay?"

I nodded to him before he pecked my lips once more, him and Jared turning on their heels and storming out the front door.

Both Kim and I stood in silence for a moment, staring at the door as it shut behind them. We looked to one another and sighed before we began giggling.

"Are you surprised this happened?" She asked, giggling and gesturing towards the shut door.

"Not at all," I shook my head and laughed along with her as we turned to find Emily.

She stood in the kitchen, leaning against the counter when we entered.

"Hey girls," she began, her voice timid, "I'm sorry this happened tonight of all nights."

We shrugged and she chuckled.

"How about, we get some popcorn and some hot chocolate, and we watch some movies, how about that? I know it's no prom, but," and she shrugged, pursing her lips before smiling.

We agreed and nestled ourselves on the couch together, I found myself tucked tightly between the two of them as we began our makeshift movie night.

I could've almost forgotten about the chaos that was bound to ensue from the newfound information about Bella and the Cullens. That is, until the wolves started howling. All of them. All distressed.

Kim shivered beside me as we realized the arguments that were undoubtedly occurring at their meeting.

Emily leaned closer, wrapped one arm around my shoulders to pull us closer, and patted Kim on the knee.

We didn't speak as the movie went on, though we stayed nestled together for the duration of the night. Not one of us slept the whole night.

 **Thank you everyone, so much, for all of the reads, favorites, follows, and especially reviews! I can't believe I'm actually saying it, but I'm only imagining having about 5 more chapters of this story. I can't believe I'm actually coming close to finishing a story! I'm still debating if I should write a small carry-on/ after-story, or if I should just add a very long epilogue after the final chapter. Again, thank you so much to everyone, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the rest of the story!**


	29. Being Safe

**Hi everyone! As always, I can't thank you all enough for the support that this story has received since it began. I never expected it to become what it did. Realizing that I'll be coming to the end of it soon is heartbreaking.**

 **I apologize for this chapter being shorter than most, as well as being very uneventful. I just need some time to pass in their world before it really starts to pick up again, so bear with me!**

 **I just recently started another Twilight story, " _A Part of Your World_ " which is an Embry x OC story, so I'd love it if you guys would go check that one out and tell me what you think!**

 **Eleanor POV**

The boys were gone through most of the night. Jacob, Jared, and Sam didn't sneak into the house until around three in the morning.

Emily and Kim and I had stayed wide awake, every now and then Emily would get up to put a new movie in the DVD player.

The door had creaked open as _3:01_ glowed green on the clock of the television. Their heavy steps were as light as they could possibly make them, the three assuming that we had fallen asleep.

As they came around the corner and into the living room, they realized how wrong they had been. We had all just stared at each other for a moment.

Emily had raised an eyebrow at Sam and he had merely shaken his head in response, I knew their results weren't what he had wanted, obviously. The air in the room had gone from fine to tense in a mere second.

"Come here, El, let's crash at my place." Jacob moved towards me, his arms spread wide in await for me. I wriggled from my place in between Emily and Kim and hurried to him. He pulled me tight against him, burying his face in my hair and inhaling.

I could feel my heart pound against my ribcage in rapid fire, I was anxious. I could only imagine what had come of the pack meeting and what was going to be done about Bella. The very thought of it all ran a chill down my spine.

I grabbed my bag and said my goodbyes to the girls as Jacob and I wandered outside and to his car.

His eyebrows remained scrunched as he drove us to his house, the full moon glowing down on the pavement ahead of us. I knew this topic was draining him, considering Bella had been his first love and was now the enemy.

I was exhausted.

We crept into his house, ever mindful of Billy sleeping in his room just down the hall. By the time that we laid in Jacob's bed I was fighting to keep my eyelids open, but my curiosity was greater than my tiredness.

"Jacob, what happened at the meeting?" I asked.

I laid on my stomach as Jacob helped pick the bobby pins from my hair, releasing the small curls from their hold.

He sighed beside me though his gentle fingers continued to work through the hairspray and pins, "Well, the immediate thought was to kill it immediately," he paused, "and in turn, kill Bella."

I nodded lightly, biting my lip as he continued.

"But, Seth spoke up and said we couldn't do that," he chuckled and shook his head, "little pup has never spoken at a meeting until tonight."

I giggled along with him for a moment, soaking in his tender touch.

"And? What came from that?" I twisted my neck to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

He pursed his lips and shrugged lightly, thinking before he spoke.

"A lot of talking. A hell of a lot of fighting. We're going to wait until it's born, and then we'll decide. For now, we wait."

He pulled the last of the bobby pins from my hair, my head aching from the pressure finally being gone. I sighed and he ran his fingers through hair, ruffling up the curls. His hands trailed from my scalp down my spine, shivers erupting over my body. They came to rest around my waist as he laid down beside me, yanking me against his chest.

I giggled as he buried his face in the crook of my neck, gently kissing the area.

He fell asleep like that, his breathing falling slow. I grinned at my own personal heater.

We slept in until eleven the next day, the sun shining brightly through the curtains, illuminating his small room. But it was cosy, oh so cosy- I could've laid there forever in that cosy little room with my werewolf keeping me toasty warm.

I opened my eyes to find him already staring down at me, a finger gently trailing around the outline of my face with that look of adoration in his eyes. I would never be able to totally grasp the fact that he felt that much adoration towards me.

His lips came crashing down on mine briefly and I relished in the perfection of the moment.

My phone lit up on the table beside the bed, Jacob groaning as he grabbed it for me.

A text from Julianna:

 _Mom and I want prom pictures! How does your boytoy look in a tux? (;_

I giggled as Jacob rested his chin on my shoulder to read it, a deep belly laugh erupting in response.

Jacob brought me home after he made Billy and I breakfast.

My dad was home, lazily lounging on the couch as I opened the door. I smiled at him, wandering over to plop down beside him. He looked up at me and for just a moment I thought he was going to smile at me.

He didn't.

"How was prom?" He asked, which surprised me just as much as a smile would've.

"It was really fun, dad. I'm glad I went."

He nodded in response, his eyes grazing over my face.

"I have pictures, if you want to see them?" I offered, pulling out my phone. He thought about it for a moment before nodding.

I felt giddy as I pulled up the pictures Emily sent me.

"That's my friend, Kim, that I spend so much time with. And that's her boyfriend, Jared. And these are their friends, Quil and Embry."

My dad nodded as I spoke, observing each new face as I pointed them out.

I stopped at a picture of just Jacob and I. It was a candid, a total goof of a photo where I had started laughing and Jacob looked down at me with the face that was just for me. It was, without a doubt, my favorite photo of the night.

"I like the way that boy looks at you."

My dad's words absolutely shocked me, I found myself staring at him in confusion. He never said things like that.

But I nodded, "I like it too."

"He'd be a fool not to. Look at you, you're beautiful."

I had no response. My father had hardly even spoken to me since Nia died, but he had certainly not said such a thing since then. My throat went dry and I stared at him.

And then he smiled at me. A genuinely proud smile.

I left the room after that, I wanted to end it on a good note.

My dad said I was beautiful.

He smiled at me.

Julianna called me as I was putting away my clothes, begging to hear all of the details of prom. I giggled and obliged, telling her all about our friends and the fun we had and the dancing.

But how could I end it? How could I tell her that we had to leave early because Jacob's ex-love was pregnant with some mutant vampire and the werewolves had to figure out what to do about it?

I couldn't, it was never a question, but I was at a loss of words, and so I rambled on about how amazing Jacob was. It wasn't hard to do, he was the most flawless thing in the world.

"Elli, be honest, do you think he could be _the one?_ "

I nearly giggled at the irony of it. He _was_ the one, fate had ensured it.

"You know, I think he could be."

She squealed at my response and I released my giggle.

"I can't wait to meet him at the wedding!"

"Jules, honestly, I think you'll love him."

"Do you love him?"

"Of course I do."

 **Jacob POV**

I had patrol as soon as I dropped Eleanor off at home. I couldn't stop beating myself up about ruining her prom. I knew she said it wasn't ruined, but it was. I made her leave early, I cut the night short and I couldn't even spend the full night with her either because of that meeting.

That _damn_ meeting.

Over those _damn_ Cullens.

They ruined my life when they first came back, and they hadn't stopped ruining it since.

I hollered out a greeting to my dad when I returned from patrol, my muscles loose and my anger slightly eased.

He called me into the living room and I plopped down in the recliner beside his chair.

"You have a good time at prom?" He asked, smiling up at me. I raised an eyebrow but nodded, thinking of how beautiful Eleanor looked.

She always looked beautiful. _Always_. But last night in that dress and with her makeup and her constant smile, I could hardly handle it.

This tiny little being that I had once hated with all of my might was the entire reason for my existence. I couldn't even fathom how I had managed to hate her even for a second.

My dad had nodded in response to me and we fell quiet, both of our eyes training on the television.

"You two being safe?"

It took a minute for me to even register what he had said and I nearly choked on my own saliva once I did.

 _We were being safe?_

"Dad!"

"Son, I love you. But I sure as hell don't want any grandkids anytime soon. I'm just watching out for you."

"That's not a problem! Don't worry."

He gave me a look, his eyebrow raised an his mouth smirking. I grimaced at him.

"I mean it, Jacob."

"Me too, dad."

I couldn't deny that the thought had come up once or twice, she was my imprint, it was inevitable.

But she was _Eleanor_ , and Eleanor was different.

Even if she wasn't my imprint, she was still _special._


	30. Graduation Day

**Hi everyone! To start off, I wanted to clear up some unintended confusion. At the end of the chapter I made it seem like Eleanor wasn't Jacob's imprint, with my wording. What I meant from it was that even if it weren't for the pull of the imprint, Jacob would still know that she was special. Sorry for any confusion!**

 **Thank you as always for such positive feedback!**

 **Eleanor POV**

Time began passing by faster and faster, and I couldn't say I liked it. Everything was so perfect, I wanted it all to slow down.

I had gotten my acceptance letter from Peninsula College- the closest one to La Push, being under an hour away. I would start classes in the fall to become a kindergarten teacher.

I was ecstatic to say the least.

Jacob and I would be graduating together in a week, and we'd be flying out to my mom's wedding in two weeks. And after that? I was going to spend my summer with Jacob. I had to be the luckiest girl on earth.

I hadn't had a panic attack in I don't know how long, and for the first extensive amount of time since Nia died, I hardly even felt it at all. I mean, every now and then I'd hear the wolves calling to each other at night and a stroke of fear would run through me. But my soulmate was a wolf who's job was to protect the reservation from vampires, how could someone not panic at something like that?

"Hey! There's my favorite girl."

I felt his presence before he even spoke, his arms wrapping around my and pressing me against his chest. I giggled as he put me down, his fingers lacing through mine as we walked out the double doors.

 _Three days._

I had three days left of high school.

I wanted to feel sad. I wanted to feel heartbroken at the thought of never seeing my friends again.

But that was the thing about being supernaturally bonded to your friends- you'd never really have to say goodbye.

Kim would be starting at Peninsula college with me, for accounting. She was always great with numbers, and she wouldn't necessarily have to be around a lot of people- which would be good for her.

The end of high school was definitely the end of a chapter in my life. But it was only the first chapter, and I couldn't wait for the rest of the book to come along.

Kim squealed as we approached our cars, her body careening towards mine and yanking me into a hug.

"What's wrong?" I raised an eyebrow as we pulled away, her big eyes staring back at me. She crinkled her eyebrows at me and shook her head.

"Eleanor! We're graduating in _three_ days!"

I stared at her for a minute and with each passing second her eyebrows scrunched together more.

"Don't you get it? High school is over. We're starting our lives, soon!"

I stared at her again.

Jacob and Jared laughed from behind Kim, I could feel Jacob's eyes on me.

"Kim, I do get it. But our lives are going to be amazing- this is a great thing!"

She stared at me briefly before I saw the small tears welling up in her brown eyes and her arms were around me again before I could even see it coming.

"Oh, El, it _is_ going to be amazing. We have our boys, and each other, and Emily," she rattled off as I felt the tears beginning to soak through to my shoulder.

Behind her, the guys had began laughing again. I raised my eyebrows to Jared and he simply cackled out a burst of laughter and shrugged.

He was probably way more used to this than I was.

After Kim had regained her composure, we had all driven to Emily's- as per usual. She greeted us with her constant warmth and welcoming. I could only hope to be half the woman that she is.

"Soo, we've been planning your graduation party-"

"Em, we've told you a million times, you don't have to throw a party for all of us." Embry cut her off, taking a bite of a sandwich.

She sighed at him and shook her head, turning her attention back to us.

" _Paul_ is graduating, Embry, _that's_ something to celebrate." She giggled and I couldn't help the laughter that flew from my mouth with everyone else's.

Paul grumbled out a growl from across the room, but it only took a moment for him to chuckle.

"But anyway," Emily breathed out, "Eleanor, I thought it'd be nice to invite your father- he could meet the guys, and the elders, and he'd get to see where you spend most of your time."

I could feel my face crinkle up before I could even stop it and Jacob chuckled, placing a kiss to the top of my head before hurrying outside for patrol.

Emily sighed and gave me a pointed look, my face crumpled and I sighed back.

The pack was something so special to me, what if my dad hated them? I wouldn't be able to take it. But I agreed nonetheless, because at that point, any argument with Emily would've been futile.

Walking out of the double doors of La Push High for the last time was something I had only dreamed about, but never really imagined would come so soon. That's when it hit me- it was all over.

When that bell rang for the last time, and the shrill cry of excitement from every senior was all that could be heard up and down the halls, it hit me.

 _Hard_.

I grabbed the last notebook and folders from my locker, number 825, and I shut it for the last time. Jacob's hand snaked around my waist and pulled me to his side, pressing a tender kiss to my temple before turning his head and returning to his conversation with Quil.

That's when I felt her cautious hand rest on my other arm.

I turned and saw Andrea.

Her beautiful face so serious and cordial, her lips pursed, her eyes boring expectantly and cautiously into mine.

I wiggled from Jacob's grasp, and nodded to him to continue on with Quil before I turned back to Andrea. We wandered to a set of lockers near the door and for a moment we just stared at one another.

She spoke first, and I couldn't have been more surprised.

"So this is it, huh?" She giggled out nervously, gesturing to all the commotion going on around us.

"I can't believe it's actually here, it all happened so fast."

She nodded in agreement with me, and a genuine smile formed on her lips.

"Eleanor, I never meant it when I said I hated you. Well- I did at the time. But I could never really _really_ hate you. You know that, right?"

I just stared at her. I could feel my throat going dry.

"In all honesty, I thought you did."

She shook her head and took a step closer, "El, you've been my best friend since sixth grade. Something like a boy couldn't make me hate you," she paused, and a grin lit up her features, "and plus, I met someone else anyway."

I raised my eyebrows and she giggled, her smile reaching her eyes.

"Don't just leave it at that, Andy! Tell me, who is he?"

She giggled again, her tongue pressing out between her teeth in giddiness, "He graduated from Forks High last year. He's super cute, like, I mean really cute. Blonde hair, blue eyes. And he's so sweet to me. I'm so happy."

I smiled at her and suddenly all the guilt in my system washed away. Andy was _happy_ with someone.

"His name is Mike Newton, and get this: he said he knew Jacob! How weird is that? But anyway, I just really wanted to talk to you about this. I just- I don't know. But, I'm happy for you, El. I really am."

I smiled at her again and she returned the gesture, and before I knew it we were throwing our arms around one another in the most bone crushing hug I had ever experienced.

We hugged for everything- for our whole friendship, for the fight, and for the fact that that we knew it was the last time we'd be together.

I wanted to cry about it. I wanted to roll into a ball and sob for our friendship- but this was the closure we needed.

Andrea was happy, and I was happy.

And then it was time to graduate. To walk across that stage and receive my diploma, and smile for the picture I knew Emily would be taking.

"Dad, are you ready? I don't want to be late." I came rushing down the stairs, the heels clacking across the wood.

My dress was cream colored and strapless, hugging my waist and releasing to fall above my knees. Our school colors were maroon and yellow- my cap and gown being maroon, Jacob's yellow.

I plopped the cap on my head. For the first time in my life, I had straightened my curls. And I loved it. I wouldn't make it a regular thing, but for graduation day, I'd do it. I took extra time on my makeup that morning, and as my dad came around the corner to leave- he stared at me in astonishment.

"My little girl is graduating high school."

I was his first child to graduate. Nia should've a couple years ago, but she died before she could. And now I was graduating.

The words left his mouth before it fell to a thin line once again. But he said it. He called me his little girl.

Paul and I were assigned to walk together during the procession that begin graduation, and I found myself sitting beside him as we watched our classmates and our friends names called.

First Quil, and then Jacob- _my_ Jacob- who looked so handsome as he flashed his heartbreaking smile out to everyone, his diploma in hand. Jared, and then Embry, and then Kim.

And then me.

"Eleanor Jenson."

My heart thudded in my chest as I approached the stage, every nerve in my body vibrating. This was _it_.

Our principal shook my hand daintily and smiled down at me as he handed me the diploma. I heard Emily's squeal from the audience and smiled out to where she held up the camera.

Paul was called directly after me, and so the ceremony carried on.

And then that was it.

We had all graduated.

To say my dad was hesitant to come to Emily's for the graduation party was an understatement. But he did.

He shook hands with all of the guys and I even caught him smile at Kim and Emily when they introduced themselves. It was amazing to see him smile.

Billy had rolled over and introduced himself, saying how much he adored me and how lucky my father was to have me as a daughter. I could've cried with happiness, Billy was almost as good to me as Jacob was. But I guess knowing that I was his only son's soulmate helped that cause.

"She's a great young lady, Mr. Jensen. You've raised her well."

His words brought my dad to silence, he pursed his lips before nodding and grinning, "I can't take much credit, she's always been this good."

Billy's eyebrows raised slightly, I think we were all a little surprised at my dad admitting that he hadn't played the most significant parental role.

"Well, I'm very happy that Jacob found her."

We all knew what he meant- happy that he had found his imprint.

Jacob had hugged me from behind at that point and kissed my cheek, the butterflies erupting in my stomach.

"Now that I've found you, I'm never letting you go."

My heart soared and my cheeks flushed and I couldn't have been happier than I was in that very moment.


	31. My Mother's Wedding Pt 1

**My Mother's Wedding Pt 1**

 **Eleanor POV**

The following week passed by with ease and then I found myself packing to go home. With _Jacob_. Jacob was going to see where I grew up, he was going to meet Julianna, and my mom.

"Hey El?"

I twisted around from my closet, raising an eyebrow. Jacob stood in the doorway, a bashful look etched on his handsome face.

He rubbed the back of his neck, biting his bottom lip, "Is it, uh- is it warm in Maine right now?"

I stared at him for minute before the giggles fell from my mouth, I couldn't hold them in anymore. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Jacob, what does it matter if it's cold right now? It's not like you'll feel it." I shrugged and turned back to the clothes in front of me, nodding when I grabbed a dress off of a hanger and tossing it onto the bed.

The room fell too silent and I knew of his presence before I felt it, his arms wrapped around me, pulling me from my feet and into his arms. He pressed me against his chest, his face coming down and showering my face with giggles. The laughter poured out of my mouth as he plopped me down onto the bed, his hands coming to attack my sides.

"Jacob!" I squealed, his tickling only getting worse.

He smirked, "I don't want to hear your sass, Miss Eleanor!" He laughed, his smile contagious, "Of course I know that I won't feel it, but it'd be nice to pretend like I'm normal, right?"

His tickles ceased and he smirked down at me, I could only giggle back.

"Ya little jerk." He shook his head, placing a kiss on my forehead before he sat down beside me. I giggled once more and leaned into his side, staring at the clothes splayed around the suitcase on the bed.

"Having some troubles?" He gestured to the mess at hand and I could only pout my lips and nod. He chuckled at my expense and stood up, offering to help me finish packing.

The next day, we were on our way to the Seattle airport.

I had said goodbye to my dad before he went to bed that night, Jacob and I had left the house at 1:30 in the morning, our flight leaving at three.

Bustling through the airport with too many bags and my werewolf boyfriend was just as chaotic as one would think. I could feel his anxiousness as his eyes darted around, trying to suspect any oncoming danger. I tried to sooth him, rubbing my hands on his arms or slipping one around his waist. He'd look down at me and smile or squeeze my hand or kiss my face.

Two stops and nine hours later, we arrived in Bar Harbor.

 _Home_.

I couldn't contain my excitement anymore, I practically flew from the terminal- Jacob hot on my heels. My heart was pounding as I scurried to find our luggage.

Jacob beat me to it. He smiled as he carried our bags, heading for the entrance.

And then I saw her.

Julianna had changed more than I could've ever imagined. She was just a kid when my dad and I left.

Our eyes met and her squeal filled the airport as she took off running towards me. I met her halfway and our bodies crashed against one another.

I was home. I was home, and I was hugging my little sister.

We held onto one another for what felt like hours and I could feel her breathing in my scent and rubbing my hair and my back. I knew Jacob had come to stand behind me, though he waited until we released one another.

We finally pulled back and I could only stare at her. She smiled a metal-mouthed smile and her eyes scanned my face- until they discovered Jacob.

I watched as her mouth dropped open, her eyes widening as they flickered back and forth between him and I. And then she smiled, an eyebrow cocking as she stepped closer.

"Elli, is this your boy toy?" She smirked as she mock-whispered to me. I heard Jacob chuckle and I nodded, "Julianna, this is _Jacob_."

His hand shot out to shake hers and before he could even react Julianna's arms were around his torso in a bear hug.

His eyes widened before he smiled and I giggled.

"Hey, where's mom?" I looked around, wondering if my mom still looked the same as I remembered- I'd gotten pictures of Julianna over the years, but never mom.

Could I still call her mom?

What if she didn't want me to? What if she was still mad about me leaving with dad?

I felt my chest tighten and almost instantaneously did I feel Jacob's hand on the small of my back.

"Her and Nate are in the car, she didn't want to overwhelm you." Julianna shrugged, beginning towards the door.

' _Overwhelm_ ' me?

I raised my eyebrows to Jacob and he shrugged, picking up our bags and following after my sister.

The moment we stepped out into the cool world of Bar Harbor, Maine, my heart soared. I took in the deepest breath I had ever taken the salty air infiltrating my senses. I smiled. Nothing smelt like Maine did. The sun was shining, something I had forgotten about- La Push was hardly ever sunny.

I felt Jacob's eyes on me as I took it all in, slowly following behind Julianna. She chattered as we walked, gushing about how happy she was to see me and to meet Jacob, how excited mom was, how to not mind Nate's "peculiarity" and his quirkiness.

I didn't care how quirky he was, it was all so perfect already.

Julianna led us to a black SUV, hurriedly knocking on the passenger window and pointing in our direction, her permanent smile still glowing on her young face.

The door flew open and my mom toppled out of the vehicle, the drivers door throwing open simultaneously.

My mom had changed considerably.

She looked _happy_.

Her cheeks were flushed and her hair had grown out and her smile was bright and her eyes were gleaming in the sunlight. My mom looked _beautiful_.

"Oh, Eleanor." She pulled her hand up to her mouth and I felt my knees grow weak. Her arms engulfed me and I could only breathe in her somehow familiar smell.

"Oh!"

Her eyes widened at Jacob and he smiled his winning smile.

"You must be Jacob, it's great to meet you." She smiled and shook his hand, he towered over her.

"And the same to you, miss,"

She shooed away his words with her hands, "Just call me Tamber, we're practically family now, silly!"

I knew Jacob would be on cloud nine with her statement. I couldn't say I minded it either.

And then, who I could only assume was Nate, rounded the side of the vehicle.

He was dwarfed by Jacob's height, he would probably be dwarfed by any average sized man's height though, we wasn't that much taller than my mom- who stood at a mere 5'4".

His hair was black and long enough to be slicked back, his eyes an odd amber color.

He smiled at us and inched forward, my mom turning to grab his hand and pull him forward and smile at us again.

"Elli, Jacob, this is Nate- my fiancé. Nate, this is my long lost girl and her boyfriend."

"Lovely to make your acquaintances, I'm sure we'll have a great week together." His voice wasn't half as deep as Jacob's or the packs, or even my dad's, and there was something weird in it- an accent, maybe.

"Nice to meet you, sir."

It was obvious that I had taken too long to answer when Jacob took over, reaching out to shake his hand. I smiled as he did so and Nate nodded with one in turn.

The ride home wasn't too long and I felt my excitement building up as the ocean came into view, the cool blue waves crashing against the shore and begging me to rush into them.

I sat in the back of the SVU, squished between Jacob and Julianna. His hand gripped my knee, his eyes bouncing around the scenery with excitement. He loved it there, I knew he did.

Every so often he would turn to me with a smile lighting up his features as he'd point at something new. My stomach would fill with butterflies each time this would happen.

The trees began thickening and I knew we were almost there. It was what I loved most about Bar Harbor- the forest and the ocean, it was the best of both worlds.

And soon enough we pulled up to the house I had grown up in. I exhaled and Jacob's hand gripped mine.

The pale blue house lay tucked within a clearing of trees, the beach creeping up behind it. The bright yellow shutters still screamed 'hello' and the porch swing still swayed in the wins on the wraparound porch.

"This is it?" Jacob whispered, a smile daring to trespass across his lips. I nodded and smiled he returned the gesture.

My mom turned in her seat to look at us, a hopeful gleam in her eye.

"Julianna and I changed up your room a bit, but we had talked about that before, remember? It still has your bed but it's definitely different, I hope you like it."

I nodded in response and we threw open the doors.

The salty breeze whipped at my face and I basked in its welcoming. I wanted to rush into the house, throw open the deep blue door and run into the white sandalwood kitchen, into the sea foam green living room with the white leather couch, into the place I had called home for so long, yet not so long ago.

But I couldn't do that and so I followed closely behind my mom and Nate and Julianna, practically bouncing beside Jacob. He smiled down at me and I couldn't help but crane my neck as my mom pushed open the door.

I led him in behind them all, the whiff of vanilla and lilacs welcoming us in.

It was just like I remembered.

It was all so beautiful.

"Well, I don't want to be too pushy, I'll let you show Jacob around and I'll make lunch- how does that sound? You remember where everything is, right," she paused, I raised an eyebrow, "right _sweetie?_ "

We stared at each other for a moment and I sucked my lips in, but nodded. A moment later we smiled at one another.

"That sounds good, _mom_. I remember."

She nodded and I took Jacob's hand once more, leading him across the pale wooden floors.

He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed my cheek, "Lead the way, miss Eleanor." I giggled and nodded, pointing out pictures on the walls and the stories that coincided as we went.

XXXXXXX

 **Hi everyone! In case you hadn't noticed, this was just part one of a two part chapter. I tried including the second, but it was too long for my liking, and so I promise part two will be up soon!**

 **As we're coming to the close of the story nearest and dearest to my heart, I cannot thank you all enough for all of the support it and I have received. I never knew it would become so popular, and so, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all.**

 **I also encourage you to go check out my other Twilight stories: _A Part of Your World, and A Whisper In The Night._ I also have a Hunger Games story: _The Wily Coyote._**

 **Again, thank you all so much!**


	32. My Mother's Wedding Pt 2

**My Mother's Wedding Part 2**

 **Jacob POV**

I found myself watching Eleanor much more than I should've.

But I couldn't help it.

Seeing Eleanor back in Maine was something absolutely foreign and absolutely fascinating to me. Her eyes began twinkling from the moment we walked through the front door and they didn't stop once. The salty air blessed her curls and they became even wilder, if that was possible. The sun kissed her skin and flushed her cheeks, and she wore a smile so permanent that not even the greatest force on earth would've been able to knock it away.

That first night there had been filled with laughter and warmth and I could suddenly understand how Eleanor was so kind and good and warm. That's how she was raised. I wondered how someone like her father could've ever fit in in such a world as bright as that one in Maine.

Tamber made lobster macaroni and cheese, one of Eleanor's very favorites as a "welcome home" of sorts, she had said.

"Boy oh boy, this is a good one tonight." Nate had chimed in.

Nate was weird.

But he somehow managed to fit in. And I felt like I did too.

We ate dinner on the back deck that overlooked the ocean. A patio table and umbrella set provided the perfect gathering place for all of us. Julianna lit a flame in the fire-pit, much to Eleanor's dismay and Tamber's amusement.

"Julianna! Stop! You're going to light yourself on fire- stop it!" She squealed, her arms instinctively reaching out. Julianna slapped her hands away, giggling and showing off her braces before turning back to the pit.

"That girl is indestructible, El, I swear. It's better not to intervene." Tamber chuckled and shook her head, sipping on her glass of wine.

Eleanor had stared at them both incredulously before looking to me for help. I could only chuckle with them and kiss her temple before we went back to our previous conversations.

"So Jacob, I have to confess, Nate and I did some investigating," Tamber began, her face bashful much like I knew Eleanor's could. I nodded and she continued, "we looked into the reservation that you're from," I felt Eleanor stiffen beside me, "and we read up on all of these 'legends' I guess they're called? Anyway, we read some and they talked about wolves and all sorts of things like that! What are your stances on that all, considering you're actually from there."

Her green eyes stared at me with such genuine curiosity and I nearly blanched on account of the fact that she was just as curious as Eleanor. She poked and prodded until she got the whole story.

I gulped and scratched the back of my neck, Eleanor stared at me in distress.

"Well," I chuckled, "that's my heritage. My great-grandfather was the chief."

Eleanor rubbed my arm and smiled at me and I felt my chest clench in the most pleasant way, I smiled back at her.

Tamber leaned forward in her seat, a glimmer igniting in her eyes, "But is it all _true?"_

I smirked and heard Eleanor giggle beside me, "Well, I guess that secret lays deep within La Push."

Tamber squealed with excitement and her hands flew to her mouth, her eyes snapping to Nate as they smiled at one another.

I winked down at Eleanor and watched as her cheeks grew red hot, her eyes dropping to her lap as I leaned down to peck her temple again, inhaling her familiar scent. I felt my body relax.

We had stayed out there and talked late into the night, the waves smacking against the beach as I felt Eleanor fall asleep against my shoulder.

Sleeping with Eleanor by my side was easily the most amazing experience of my existence. With her small body curled up against mine and clad in shorts and one of my t-shirts, the open window filling the room with a salty mist and the sound of the violent ocean blowing in, I could easily say that I had never been so content with my life.

The following morning the scent of blueberry pancakes and bacon filled the airy house. Eleanor flew from the bed in a flash and I quickly heard her little feet paddling down the stairs, I couldn't help but laugh out loud before I could even get up to follow her.

Moments later, I came to find out that she had raced Julianna down the stairs, the sisters shoving at one another in order to reach their mother first. They flung themselves into a fit of giggles.

I was more than ecstatic at the fact that Eleanor was able to be herself there, to be with her family and _relax_.

That day was spent getting to know the town in which Eleanor grew up. The large high school, the vast beaches, the endless amounts of shops. It was easy to see how someone could fall in love there.

Watching Eleanor bounce from one activity to the next made my heart soar.

And then came the wedding day.

Both the ceremony and the reception would be held on their own personal beach, a fairly small group of locals, consisting of close friends, co-workers, and relatives. I met the aunts and the uncles, the cousins, and even one set of wrinkly grandparents.

They all crowded around Eleanor, and I could feel her anxiety pouring off of her.

"Hey, hey, you're okay." I took her face into my hands, feeling her melt into my touch. Her eyes slowly acknowledged my words and she nodded, inhaling deeply and holding it there. Her eyes fluttered shut and I watched as my beautiful imprint fought off the demons within her subconscious. Every fiber of my being wished for me to simply chase them away, to make it all go away for her.

But I couldn't do that. I couldn't erase the chemical imbalances within her genetic makeup and I couldn't undo the horrific event that triggered such issues to arise.

And so I did what I could and at that moment it was simply to hold her there.

Eleanor wore a beautiful sunshine yellow dress that blew in the wind with her curls. Even as the ceremony was in full swing, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She watched her mother with cautious admiration and I knew that she was tickled pink to be a part of it all.

The reception consisted of white twinkling lights strung along the trees, music blasting through a pair of speakers on the back deck, and hours of twirling Elli as we danced.

I spun her outwards and watched as her dress flowed out around her. She tossed her head back laughing as I spun her back in, one hand finding the small of her back and the other the base of her curls. She looked up at me with those dazzling eyes and that goofy little smile and I felt my breath catch in my throat.

Everything I had ever wanted was right there in my hands, staring up at me.

I couldn't help but crash my lips onto hers, hers responding immediately.

She giggled and shoved my chest, "Jacob," she drawled out, her fingers finding mine and intertwining them. I cocked an eyebrow and she giggled as her eyes fell to the ground once again.

"I love you."

My heart did that thing again and I craned down to kiss her jaw once before we began dancing again.

"I love you more, Elli."

She giggled again, "Impossible."


	33. Reminiscence

**Well everyone, here it is- the very last chapter of** _Fate Works In Cruel Ways_ **. I never saw this day coming, and as I type, I can feel the tears in my eyes. I couldn't even tell you all why!**

 **I began this story almost a year ago and I never expected such a reaction. You all have been so amazing. The love and support that this story a has received is something truly magical. I cannot begin to express my gratitude to each and every one of you who has read, favorited, followed, and reviewed.**

 **I've never completed a fanfiction before and I honestly had no clue that this one would be any different. Though as I continued on, I grew incredibly attached to Eleanor and her life. Sharing her with you all has been amazing. I was able to put myself into her and watch her grow and change with each chapter, and I am ecstatic at the fact that you all loved her as much as I do.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Following this chapter, I will be posting an epilogue and that will conclude this story. I'm heartbroken that it's time for it to end.**

 **With that, I'd like to encourage you all to go check out my other twilight stories:** _A Part of Your World_ **, and** _A Whisper In The Night_ **. As well as my Hunger Games story:** _The Wily Coyote_ **.**

 **Each one of these is still very early on in their progression and so I'll be spending a lot more time on them once this is complete.**

 **So without further ado, on with the final chapter!**

 **Eleanor POV**

Leaving my mom the second time was almost as hard as the first time. But we were on much better terms this time, and I knew it wouldn't be the last time I'd see her for a while. Julianna and I had cried as we hugged one another and I promised her I'd be back soon. And I meant it.

Jacob loved Maine. I was grateful for this and I knew he'd be sure to come with me the next time I went there.

"Hey El?"

Jacob turned to face me, his arm slung lazily around my shoulders as we sat on Emily's couch. I raised an eyebrow.

"Let's have a wraparound porch on our house, okay?"

I felt my eyebrows shoot up as I stared at him, I couldn't quite fathom what had brought that thought to his mind.

He chuckled and I felt the butterflies in my stomach as I stared up at his smile. I would never get sick of that sound or that beautiful face.

"I know it's random! But I was just thinking of your house in Maine and how nice it was, and I loved that porch."

I could only giggle back at him for a minute, "Alright! We can have a wraparound porch."

He stared at me again, "I'm serious, Eleanor."

I pursed my lips but slowly nodded and agreed. He smiled at me. My heart fluttered.

The screen door slammed and we both looked in that direction.

I felt Jacob's whole body tense beside me as he stared up at Sam. And as I turned to face him, I felt my own do the same.

Something was _wrong_.

"Jacob, _it_ happened."

Sam's voice was deep and grave, his muscles tense, his body vibrating.

It happened.

 _What happened?_

"I, but-"

"We knew this _thing_ was a monster. It happened earlier this morning."

Bella's mutant baby was born.

"And," I felt Jacob begin to shake, I placed a hand on his knee, "and Bella?"

Sam sighed and his eyes dropped to the floor and I instantly felt Jacob's pain through the imprint. His eyes shut and he inhaled deeply, his head dropping into his hands as his nostrils flared with emotion.

"Jacob, we need to move quickly."

He inhaled sharply and in one swift motion he had pulled me into his lap and grabbed my face with his hands.

"I love you, Eleanor."

His eyes bored into mine and I could've sworn my stomach was in my throat.

"I will be home as soon as possible. I want you to stay here with Emily, okay?" I nodded and sighed, I didn't want him to go out and face whatever lay ahead. I wanted him right there with me.

He peppered my face with kisses, the giggles escaping my lips as I felt my cheeks flush. His lips landed on mine and I felt every emotion he was trying to hold in- sadness, betrayal, fear, and then his absolute love for me.

He sighed against my mouth and I pecked his lips once more before he pulled away, his eyes finding mine again.

"I love you."

I smiled, "I love you too."

He gently sat me back down on the couch with one more kiss before he followed Sam out the front door. I watched as his form began to vibrate with anger and before I knew it, my amazing Jacob had phased into his beautiful wolf.

I sighed.

"You want some tea, sweetie?" Emily's voice pulled me from my daze, my eyes darting towards her. She looked at me sadly, we both knew that nothing good was going to come from this day.

I slowly nodded and dropped my eyes to the floor. She bustled back into the kitchen and I could hear her pour off two cups.

She gently lowered herself beside me and handed me the warm mug, the steam assaulting my face as it rose. I brought my eyes to her once again and she pursed her lips briefly before sipping the hot liquid. I followed suit and heard her sigh.

We sat in silence for almost an hour, neither of us finding the right words to discuss whatever may have been going on involving the Cullens and our boys.

As the sky turned dark with black clouds I felt Emily lay her hand on my shoulder tenderly. I looked to her and she grinned back at me, her hand falling to my back to rub soft circles. I smiled fondly back. I was grateful to have her.

"I'm very proud of you, Eleanor."

I raised an eyebrow at her and she giggled softly.

"What do you mean?" I turned to face her, she followed suit and her hands found mine.

"I mean, look at you, sweetie! This beautiful woman behind me is not the terrified little girl I met half a year ago- not even close."

I watched her carefully and she continued on, I felt my heart swelling.

"Kim brought you here that first day, most likely against your will, right?" She smiled and I giggled and nodded. I remembered that day.

"And I hugged you, and you just patted my back, like I had some sort of illness." She laughed and I watched her eyes glaze over with memory. I listened as she continued.

"You were quiet, you were reserved from everyone, and you and Jacob hated each other. Think about that for a moment! You and Jacob hated each other. Now, you two are inseparable. He came home, made a nasty comment about you being here, and you fled the building. I could've sworn that we would never see you again." She shook her head and one hand rubbed circles onto my palm as she spoke.

"But you came back. You gave us another shot. And then you gave Jacob another shot. I've never seen something like it, my girl. I got to watch you two fall in love. I watched the guys grow protective over you, like when they broke that boy's nose for hitting you with the dodgeball."

I laughed out loud at that as I remembered that day, seeing Desmond in the cafeteria with a matching broken nose. She smiled at me.

"You came to the bonfire, and I remember Jacob started the conversations, do you remember that?"

I nodded in response and she continued, "oh, and I remember you hearing the legends. We were all so afraid of what you would think! But you said they were fascinating, that made us all so happy! I don't know if you knew this, but that night was when Jacob realized he needed you."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Sam heard it in his head after. He realized that there was something special about you and that it wasn't your fault that you had been chosen for him. Things started looking up from there."

"But I don't want to talk about the growth between you and Jacob, you see that for yourself every day. I want to talk about how much you've changed and grown. You were afraid of human contact, you hid behind Andrea Sen's shadow, and you could hardly say ten words without cowering inside of yourself. And Eleanor, look at you now! You're comfortable and content with who you are. This beautiful young woman, how could you not be happy with who you are? I mean, Eleanor. You grew into yourself. I don't want to pry, but when was the last time you had an actual panic attack?"

I thought about it. Long and hard.

"I don't remember."

Emily's smile spread from ear to ear.

"Isn't that amazing, Eleanor? Think about it. Think about who you were when you and Jacob first began this journey together. And think about yourself now. It's astounding, don't you think?"

And I thought again. Of who I was on that first day I came to Emily's, uncomfortable in my own skin. And it wasn't just Jacob or Kim or Emily or the guys who helped me. It was me. I did grow into myself. I learned who I was and I fell in love with that person.

Just because I hadn't had a panic attack in so long didn't mean it wasn't there, always brewing on the edge of my mind, waiting to jump at the nearest opportunity. But I knew how to handle it, how to channel it away and defeat it before it got too close. And Jacob helped a lot. He felt it too, and he did his best to counteract it every time.

Jacob was a saint, I swear.

"Thank you, Emily."

Now it was her time to raise an eyebrow at me.

"For everything. You took me right under your wing. You let me into your home and more importantly, you let me into your family."

Emily chuckled and shook her head, leaning forward and throwing her arms over my shoulders in an embrace. I responded immediately and hugged her back.

"Oh Eleanor, you were always meant to be a part of the family. You belonged from the very beginning."

I felt tears pool in my eyes and I blinked them away, hugging her closer.

Kim arrived later in the evening, having returned from a day with her parents. The three of us ate dinner together, an uncomfortable worry floating through the house. Our boys were out there in the dark with the vampires most likely, deciding the fate of a girl we all knew once. It was terrifying.

Around 11 pm, we all decided to hope for sleep. Emily turned in to hers and Sam's room, Kim opting for the couch while I found myself in the guest bedroom. Though we had all dispersed in attempts at sleep, I think we all knew these would be futile. We wouldn't be able to sleep when we didn't know if our boys were safe.

My mind raced as I laid in bed that night, thinking about the last half a year. If I had been told that this would be my life one day, I would've never believed it and I would've launched myself into a meltdown in which Andrea would've had to diffuse.

I shook my head to myself. Such a thought was beyond foreign now.

My mind landed on Jacob and my heart twanged fondly.

 _Jacob Black._

The gift to earth that had once loved my former best friend, that once hated me, and suddenly whom which I was made for and vice versa.

When everything had first began, I was angry. My whole world was falling apart around me. I had always been one to believe in fate. So how could it have been so cruel?

And as time continued, I realized it wasn't cruel at all. Fate was incredible, and kind and wise and amazing.

Fate had brought me to where I was: the most amazing adventure of my life.

I thought about the last few months. Of every moment with Jacob, the first kiss and every magical one following that. The first time he gave me a ride to school, his protective eyes keeping close watch as I carried about my day. I thought of Kim, the amazing girl who had become my best friend. Her invitation to Emily's house on that first day, her persistence in her pursuit of our friendship. I thought of prom night, and the pictures and the dancing. I thought of the pack, of all the laughter and friendship that had come into my life with them. I had never been a part of something so big and so incredible- a part of a family so loyal to one another. I had never been so in love with my life and those around me.

Around five in the morning I heard the doors open and shut, and the floor boards shudder with the weight of our returning wolves.

The door to the room I was in clicked open and a small beam of light appeared on the hardwood floor. I sat up in anticipation and felt my heartbeat pick up.

Jacob's handsome face peaked into the room and a tired grin graced his tanned features as our eyes met. My heart was in my throat.

"Jacob," I whispered. He stepped inside the room quietly, slowly shutting the door. He easily maneuvered through the dark room and I felt his warmth spread over the bed as he weight came down on it.

I scuttled towards him, his arms encasing me immediately and instinctively bringing me to his bare chest.

I rested on top of him, my hands entangling in his hair and his hands coming to rest around my waist as his nose came to nestle in the crook of my neck. His lips adorned my collarbone with kisses and I felt contentment consume my being.

No words were spoken that night. I didn't care what happened in regards to the Cullens. All that mattered was that _my_ Jacob was home and safe.

As long as he was with me, I knew that every other thing in the world would be manageable.

Somehow.

How would I have been able to know that everything would grow to be so perfect with the love of my life?


	34. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

 **Eleanor POV**

It had been six years since Bella Swan's mutant child was born, and the Cullens left Forks.

That night had proven to be filled with a countless number of fights and disagreements. Ultimately, the treaty had been broken. Following the birth of the mutant, it was assumed that Bella was dead- which stood as a violation. Hours later, Bella re-awoke as a newborn vampire- which also stood as a violation.

Given the history of the Cullens and our boys, though, combined with Sam's wise leadership, it was decided that the Cullens would leave that night and no violence would have to take place. They fled their home and relocated to Alaska and have sparsely attempted contact over the last five years.

None of us minded.

The pack opened up a repair shop together and with that and constant patrols, they were kept both busy and happy with a steady supply of money.

Shortly following my first semester at Peninsula College, Jacob bought us a plot of land not too far from Sam and Emily's home. Immediately after this, Jared did the same for himself and Kim. With a combined effort from every pack member, including the newest pups- Brady and Collin- our houses were built.

My dad was more than reluctant to allow me to leave and move in with Jacob. Looking back now, though, it was entirely understandable. I was just freshly eighteen and still overcoming my bouts of anxiety, and I was his little girl.

He slowly gave in, though, and Jacob and I- piece by piece- built a home together.

A small two-story house, with dark cherry wooden floors and more windows than seemed necessary and every room's walls painted a faint forest green, a smooth cream, or a rich chocolate brown.

Though I received teasing from Jacob, I nitpicked every last detail of every room and created the exact home that I had dreamed of.

As my fourth and final year at Peninsula came to an end, Jacob proposed.

My mother, Nate, and Julianna flew over as soon as they could in order to help us plan. With the combined effort of them, the pack, and Emily and Kim, we were able to have everything set up in just six months.

On a breezy Saturday afternoon in early autumn, Jacob and I were married on First Beach, surrounded by those we love. Kim was, of course, my maid of honor, with Julianna, Emily, and my mother serving as my bridesmaids.

My dress was all white lace, hugging closely to my body with long sleeves adorning my wrists and a small train following behind.

Much like most things with Jacob involved, it was everything I had dreamed of.

I began teaching the kindergarten class at La Push Elementary the following fall. And in just two weeks, Jacob and I will be celebrating our second anniversary as a married couple.

I sighed and smiled and fiddled with the gold ring adorning my finger, twisting the square diamond.

"What is it?"

I looked up at the sound of Jacob's voice, his eyebrow cocked at me from across the kitchen table. I giggled and my eyes fell to the floor.

"Nothing, I'm just happy."

He quirked his eyebrow up higher and chuckled at me, his hand reaching out to graze the top of mine tenderly. My cheeks heated up.

"How do pancakes sound this morning, Kanen?" I asked, standing up from my seat and grasping his tiny tanned cheeks.

He clapped together his hands and squealed in excitement and Jacob watched us with that same look he always did.

Kanen was our first born son, only fourteen months old and had already grasped every member of the pack by the heart strings. Though I wanted to say he looked just like Jacob, I knew a good part of his features came from me.

I fell even more in love with him each time I took in the fact that he was a beautiful little combination of Jacob and I.

His russet skin quite obviously came from Jacob, as did his dark hair. Though my curls were evident within the tiny dark spirals, as well as the bright green eyes that shined out from beneath them. And though his mouth was wide like Jacob's, his tiny nose most definitely came from me.

I giggled back at him and wandered to the counter, gathering all of the ingredients for blueberry pancakes.

The same familiar set of warm hands encased my stomach, Jacob's warmth wrapping itself around me and his lips peppering my left cheek and collarbone. I giggled again and he chuckled deeply against my skin.

"Tomorrow," he mumbled, I could feel the smile on his lips. I nodded and looked down to his hands on the small bump of my stomach.

Tomorrow we would be traveling over to the Forks hospital once again to discover the gender of our second baby on the way.

Sam and Emily had already brought two strong and smart boys into the world- Mikah who was five and Sam jr. who was three. Their third boy was due in just a few weeks.

Despite that they had been together longer than Jacob and I, Jared and Kim had yet to officially get married. They did have a two year old daughter, Kinsley, though. Kim had indeed succeeded in her accounting career, as well, and her and I met up quite frequently given that we lived so close.

Just because the Cullens were gone, nomad vampires still appeared quite frequently. And because of this, unfortunately, young boys on the reservation continued to phase.

The very thought terrified Emily and I, given that our babies might one day have to face the same tragedy that our wolves had. We tried our best to push away the thoughts, there was still so long before we would have to see if it was true.

My little Kanen didn't only receive some looks from his father, unfortunately. He had also inherited the birthright to become chief one day. If fate worked in cruel ways once again, Kanen would be the alpha of the new pack. He'd be younger than the others, much like Jacob had been, and his entire little world would be turned upside down.

I sighed and watched as his little hands made swirls in the maple syrup on his tray, his smile lighting up the room much like Jacob's did.

The following day, Jacob and I found ourselves in the small room with the nurse as the image of our next baby lit up the small screen.

Her blue eyes observed the image, an eyebrow cocking as she leaned in to get a closer look.

Jacob looked to me, an eyebrow raising and his lips pursing. I giggled.

The nurse looked at us and exhaled, smiling brightly.

"Well?" Jacob asked, his leg beginning to bounce.

"There's a girl."

Jacob's smile spread from ear to ear, faltering as the nurse's hand came up to pause him. We raised our eyebrows.

"There's also a boy."

We sat in silence for a moment before the realizations set in.

There was a girl and a boy.

Both.

There were twins.

Jacob laughed out loud, his smile returning even brighter than before and I felt mine do the same to match his.

"Do twins run in the family?" The nurse asked, slowly beginning to point out the twins upon the screen.

Jacob nodded enthusiastically, I couldn't help but giggle at his excitement. The nurse raised an eyebrow.

"His big sisters are twins."

The nurse nodded in response to me and Jacob chuckled again, squeezing my hand with giddiness.

My smile seemed to be fixated on my face for the rest of the day, as did Jacob's.

To say my mom was ecstatic that I was having twins was an understatement. Her and Julianna had screamed over the phone, their voices being thrown into chaotic chattering until I just had to hang up.

My dad was never truly _excited_ with baby talk, I knew he was still in the process of digestion with the idea that I was grown up. But even he couldn't help but crack a smile when we told him.

Andrea called the house phone the following day.

Jacob had answered though quickly rushed the phone to me, his eyes wide and his hand reaching out to grasp my free one.

Andrea, oddly enough, called every few years to check in.

Her and Mike Newton had gotten married and quickly began their traveling just days after. They hadn't been in America in God knows how long.

But they were so happy.

And I was so happy that they were so happy.

Andrea was never meant to live in a small place like La Push, she was destined for world travel.

We hung up almost an hour later after we caught up on everything.

I set down the phone and looked around our dimly lit living room, smiling as I did so.

Jacob had fallen asleep with his head on my lap, one hand gently gripping my knee as he did so. Kanen sat on the floor, heavily enthused by the group of wolf stuffed animals. Each of the guys had given him one, coincidentally matching the color of fur with their own.

I smiled and ran my hands through Jacob's hair and I thanked God with every fiber of my being for giving me what I had.

Everything was perfect.

Fate worked in _beautiful_ ways.

 **XXX**

 **Well, everyone, here it is. _Fate Works in Cruel Ways_ is officially complete.**

 **This has been a beautiful and amazing journey with all of you, and I'm so glad I got to complete Jacob and Eleanor's story and to have been able to share it all with you.**

 **Once again, from the very bottom of my heart, thank you all.**


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